Lakers’ failure to contain Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane, Ja Morant proves costly in Game 5

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Desmond Bane scored 33 points on 12-for-21 shooting, going 4 for 9 from 3-point range. Ja Morant scored 31 points on 13-for-26 shooting, including 2 for 5 from behind the arc. Was it any wonder the Memphis Grizzlies torched the Lakers in Game 5 on Wednesday night?

The Grizzlies’ guard play was superb.

The backcourt matchup was a mismatch.

Austin Reaves had 17 points on 4-for-13 shooting, including a 3-for-8 mark on 3-point attempts, and D’Angelo Russell had 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting, going 2 for 5 from deep. Was it any wonder the Lakers couldn’t keep up in a 116-99 loss that denied them a chance to eliminate the Grizzlies?

So, how can the Lakers contain the Grizzlies’ dynamic guards in Game 6 on Friday night?

“I have nothing to say about them, honestly,” Russell said.

Others in the Lakers’ locker room spoke about the need to contain Bane and Morant, as they had done well only sporadically during the series. Bane scored a team-leading 36 points in the Lakers’ overtime victory in Game 4 on Monday at Crypto.com Arena. Morant had 45 in Game 3, 24 of them in the fourth quarter.

“With Ja, just contain him, especially in the open court,” said forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who has checked Morant more than anyone else in this series so far. “Just load up to him, throw different bodies at him. With Bane, just being physical and kind of directional as far as physicality. Not let them see easy ones.”

Morant and Bane simply had too much time and space, starting with their play with the ball in the open court. They are far more effective and productive players when running free and easy, capable of freelancing their way to game-changing flurries, such as the one that decided Game 5.

They sparked a 26-2 run from the late minutes of the third quarter into the fourth that turned a tight game into a runaway for the Grizzlies. They did it with creative play, for the most part, rather than with structured, half-court possessions. The Lakers did well enough in half-court situations.

In fact, the Lakers did a credible job in defending the rest of the Grizzlies’ rotation. Jaren Jackson Jr. was the only other Memphis player beyond Morant and Bane to score in double figures. Jackson had 18 points on 5-for-11 shooting, going 2 for 5 from 3-point range.

“We’ll go back to the drawing board, watch film and see what we can do, but Ja’s an MVP and Bane was really good for the whole year,” Reaves said of doing a better job of containing Morant and Bane in Game 6. “They’re really good players. Like I said, we go and figure out what we can do to contain them.”