The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 111-101 in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, leading 2-1 in the series.

The Grizzlies' elite perimeter defender Dillion Brooks had made provocation against LeBron James before the game, saying that he won't respect James until he scores 40 points over him. Brooks was often the team's first option to guard James when the two teams met in recent years, including in the previous two games of the series. James averaged 24.5 points at 11.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists at 51.3 percent from the field.

As one of the greatest players in NBA history who has played in this league for 20 seasons, James is unlikely to take Brooks' provocation seriously, but his teammates didn't want to go easy on Brooks or the Grizzlies on Saturday night. The purple and gold dominated the opponents in the paint by shooting 8-for-11 there and grabbed 22 rebounds. Defensively, the Lakers allowed only nine points by the Grizzlies which missed 22 of their 25 shots. The competition nearly became a long-gone conclusion after the home team led 35-9 in the first period.

The Lakers' incredible performance came from their accurate aggressiveness. Both James and Anthony Davis kept attacking the Grizzlies' defensive weak links in mismatch by using screens. The two joined hands to go 14-for-23 next to the rim, enabling their side to lead 58-42 in points in the paint and keeping the opponents' defensive spine, Jaren Jackson Jr., busy moving around for help in defense. As a result, the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year was called his third personal foul early in the second quarter and had to sit on the bench to avoid further trouble.

The removal of Jackson Jr. from the court further set the Lakers free on the offensive end. D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reeves and Rui Hachimura scored 46 points collectively, making sure that the Lakers sat on a safe, double-digit lead during most of the time in Saturday's competition.

As for Brooks, he was a big offensive disappointment for the Grizzlies as he went 3-for-13 from the field in 19 minutes to get only seven points. Then only 17 seconds into the third quarter, Brooks was called a flagrant 2 foul for hitting James below the belt, and, so, was ejected. He had to sit on the bench during nearly the whole second half to watch his side suffer a big loss.

The major reason that Saturday's game didn't escalate into an epic loss for the Grizzlies was Ja Morant's fantastic offensive performance in the fourth quarter. He had 24 of his 45 points in this period, including generating all of the team's 22 points from 8:26 to 2:54. He also delivered 13 of their 23 assists. Morant's unstoppable attacking form reminded the audience of James 16 years ago when he scored all of the Cleveland Cavaliers' final 25 points in the series against the Detroit Pistons.

Usually a team would bounce back to shoot better in the following game after missing 58 of their 93 field goals (FGs). The Grizzlies could have done better in containing James and Davis than they did on Saturday night. Jackson Jr. committed only one foul in the second half, he must remember how to stay safe like that in the rest of the series because he plays too important a role on their roster.

Game 4 will happen at Crypto.com Arena on April 24.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Philadelphia 76ers 96-88 Brooklyn Nets

The 76ers rested Joel Embiid at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, on Saturday, but that didn't keep them from securing the fourth win and sweeping the Nets in this series. Having trailed 48-40 in the first half, the 76ers reversed the situation in the third quarter thanks to Tyrese Maxey's 10 points that enabled his side to rally 26-15 in this period. De'Anthony Melton took over from him in the four quarter to get all of his 15 points in this period, sealing the deal for the 76ers.

The 76ers will have more days to rest before meeting the winner between the Boston Celtics (2) and the Atlanta Hawks (1). But that doesn't necessarily mean they will have enough time to wait for Embiid to come back. According to their head coach Doc Rivers, Embiid has a chance of "probably 50 percent" to start the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Phoenix Suns 112-100 Los Angeles Clippers

The Suns have three things to be happy about at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday: winning on the road, leading 3-1 in the series and the better chemistry among their star combination of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. The four dropped 95 points, 37 rebounds and 23 assists collectively. They are only one win from advancing to the Western Conference semifinals.

Clippers fans had no reason to be surprised at their third straight loss and 3-1 deficit in the series because their best player Kawhi Leonard missed the second game in a row due to significant swelling in Leonard's knee. According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the chances of Leonard returning in this series do not look good.

Russell Westbrook became the Clippers' only hope, not to win the series, but at least to lose with dignity. While he continued to bury happy surprises on the defensive end, he dropped game-high 37 points after shooting 17-for-29 from the field. The irony was that although Westbrook made 12 shots while charging the rim 17 times, he didn't earn a single free throw.

Game 5 will take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 25.

Milwaukee Bucks 99-121 Miami Heat

Jimmy Butler played 28 minutes to drop 30 points for the Heat and didn't appear on the court in the fourth quarter at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, not because he suffered any injury, but because he didn't have to play that long. The Heat's backup unit outscored their Bucks counterpart 59-28 after Duncan Robinson, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin all had double-digit points. As the underdog of the series, the Heat again led 2-1 over the East leader.

The Bucks continued to miss Giannis Antetokounmpo, and, this time, the rest of the team failed to make up for their offensive and defensive losses without him. As the team's second- and third-best players, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton came together to get 42 points and 10 turnovers. The Bucks still have good reasons to believe in their players, but they don't have much room for further mistakes.

Game 4 will happen at the Kaseya Center on April 24.