Lakers and LeBron James win in overtime to defeat the Grizzlies and take a 3-1 series lead.

Lakers and LeBron James win in overtime to defeat the Grizzlies and take a 3-1 series lead.

James scores a crucial shot late in overtime as the Lakers rally for a tough 117-111 victory, putting them on the verge of the second round, and the game-tying layup with 0.8 seconds left in regulation.

LOS ANGELES — On Monday night, the Crypto.com Arena court was not a place for the timid. With bodies flying around the court at breakneck speed and every possession fought over as if it would be the final one of the 2022–23 seasons, the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies resumed hostilities in Game 4 of their heated first-round playoff series.

LeBron James sent the game into overtime with a driving layup with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, after the Grizzlies' Desmond Bane had given his team the lead with a layup with 6.7 seconds left. The regular 48 minutes were not enough to settle what loomed as a vital game.

James had 20 rebounds for the first time in his career, making him the first Laker since Shaquille O'Neal on June 13, 2004, to have a 20-point, 20-rebound game in the playoffs. In his record-setting 270th playoff game, the NBA's all-time leading scorer added seven assists and two blocked shots while making just one turnover. In 45 minutes of frantic action that brought the Grizzlies to the verge of collapse, James went 8 for 18 from the field but just 1 for 7 from beyond the arc.

James then put the Lakers over the top in overtime with a driving layup, a scream, and a flex, scoring the final of his team-high 22 points to lift the Lakers to a 117-111 victory and a 3-1 series lead. With 29.4 seconds left, his basket erupted, sending the sellout crowd of 18,997 into frenzy.

Wednesday at Memphis' FedEx Forum is Game 5. Game 6 will be place at Crypto.com Arena on Friday night, if necessary.

"You just dig deep and understand that you'll be able to sleep at some point - just not right now," James said of his resolve to win Game 4. "Now is not the time to take a break or put off doing a job. After the game and the next day, you'll have more than enough time to recuperate. I just keep trying to dive deep.

When asked if he surprised himself, James paused before responding.

"Yep," he replied.

When questioned about this, he responded, "When my teammates told me I had 20 (points) and 20 (rebounds), I had no notion I had 20 and 20. In my professional life, I've never done it before. I believe I've done some pretty great stuff in my career, but I had never had 20 and 20 before.

In the fourth quarter, when the Lakers occasionally looked disconnected until rallying late behind D'Angelo Russell's three 3-pointers on three straight trips, James also took not one but two charges on the Grizzlies' Ja Morant. Russell gave the Lakers a too-short lead of 99-97.

However, the Lakers' triumph was by no means a one-man show.

Russell had 17 points, and Austin Reaves scored a team-high 23 points. Anthony Davis had 12 points (five in overtime) and 11 rebounds, Jarred Vanderbilt had 10 of his 15 points in the first quarter, and Dennis Schroder provided 12 points and constant defensive pressure on Morant in a reserve role.

"Other guys had to step up and chip in," Lakers coach Darvin Ham remarked after his team triumphed for the 12th time in 15 games going back to the regular season. "We watched LeBron's final performance and everything he did on the opposing side of the ball. I must give D'Angelo Russell a massive shout-out. He was able to ignite his offence when we were sputtering at best, and man, he put us on our backs offensively and gave us a chance to narrow the distance, surpass it, and win the game. We won't win this game if D-Lo doesn't play like he did.

On 13 of 29 shooting, Bane scored 36 points to lead the Grizzlies. Morant scored 19 points in the game following his 45-point performance against the Lakers in Game 3 on Saturday. When the game became close in the fourth quarter, Jaren Jackson Jr. had 14 points and 14 rebounds, but Davis and his Lakers colleagues largely neutralised him.

Just over the midway point of the fourth quarter, Bane had given the Grizzlies a 97-90 lead; however, when Russell went hot, the Lakers sprinted to a 99-97 advantage. Later, Reaves drove for the go-ahead basket to tie the score at 102 all after Morant scored one of his two free throws with 1:04 remaining in regulation.

With 6.7 seconds left, Bane's layup gave Memphis a 104-102 lead. Jackson's outstretched arms were blocked by James' driving layup that tied the score with 0.8 seconds remaining. After Davis and James each made a layup on their first two possessions of overtime, the Lakers never trailed.