Memphis Grizzlies mauled by Lakers in Game 3 loss, but Ja Morant gave them hope | Giannotto

LOS ANGELES — Gut reactions from the Memphis Grizzlies' 111-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round NBA playoff series:

A humbling setback, but not an insurmountable one

There will be jokes about poking bears. There will be calls for the Grizzlies to shut their mouths. There will be those who, just like after Game 1, will declare this series over.

Dillon Brooks guaranteed that by going after LeBron James following Game 2. Memphis only reinforced that with a hapless start that made this group look overwhelmed by the circumstances. It was so rough at times that Ja Morant's return to the starting lineup was completely overshadowed – until he exploded for a 24-point fourth quarter and finished with 45 points.

But the Grizzlies came to Los Angeles in search of just one road win. They get another chance Monday, and perhaps the environment won’t be quite as charged after the bludgeoning the Lakers handed Memphis in Game 3. Maybe they'll have their bearings after the way Morant played in the second half.

If we’re to put a positive spin on this, James and company needed this win more than the Grizzlies. This was the first Lakers’ playoff game at Crypto.com Arena with a full crowd in a decade. This was also the last game of the series with an extra day of rest for James and Anthony Davis, who are both playing through nagging injuries.

Davis, in particular, was as dominant as he was in Game 1, finishing with 31 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.

The final three quarters also offered reasons for optimism. Morant was downright spectacular late, looking more and more comfortable playing through that hand injury as the game wore on. Desmond Bane, who has quietly had issues shooting the ball in this series, found his touch after halftime. Memphis showed some backbone cutting the Lakers' lead to 10, albeit once too much damage had been done to affect the outcome.

Now, though, the pressure is completely on the Grizzlies to bounce back in Game 4. Going back to Memphis down 3-1 in this series would be nearly as hard to overcome as the deficit it faced Saturday.

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BACKGROUND: How trash-talking LeBron James became the defining point for the Memphis Grizzlies' turnaround

How the bear mauled Dillon Brooks

Dillon Brooks sought the spotlight when he called James “old” and he got steamrolled by his words in Game 3.

Brooks was booed mercilessly during pregame warmups, during starting lineup introductions and during any moment of the game in which he touched the ball. He even exchanged words with James before tipoff, sauntering over toward the Lakers layup line, and then didn’t come close to backing up the furor he caused with his trash talk.

James got going early and finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. It wasn't the 40-point performance Brooks demanded for respect, but it was a lot better than Brooks. He shot the ball horribly, missing open shots the Lakers were giving him by sagging off whenever they could. He was 3 of 13 from the field for seven points.

It was eerily similar to Game 4 against Golden State last year, when Brooks came back from a one-game suspension after his flagrant foul on Gary Payton II and appeared completely overwhelmed by the vitriol directed toward him from Warriors’ fans.

It only got more cringeworthy after halftime. Just 17 seconds into the third quarter, Brooks caught James below the belt while defending him. It appeared unintentional, as Brooks went for the ball right when James changed directions and instead caught him in the nether regions.

James writhed on the court in pain and officials deemed the contact to be excessive and unnecessary enough to give Brooks a flagrant two foul after review and ejected him from the contest. Given the lead up to Saturday’s game, it seems likely Brooks’ comments about James played a role in the decision to hand him an early exit.

The rest of the Grizzlies struggled just as much as Brooks at the outset, and it’s hard to really know if what Brooks said actually had a meaningful effect. But after the national attention he generated, this will be a performance that could define Brooks if he doesn’t respond well the rest of the series.

Never mind that we'll also have to wait and see if this flagrant foul results in another suspension for Game 4.

Historically bad start kills Grizzlies’ chances

The images were bad. LeBron James attacking. A Desmond Bane 3-pointer that didn't find the rim. An early foul by Jaren Jackson Jr. And that was just in the opening minute of Game 4.

The numbers were just gruesome.

Memphis went 3-for-25 from the field in the first quarter. It scored nine points, the fewest in a first quarter in franchise history and the fewest scored in any quarter by any team in the NBA this season, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The Lakers finished the opening 12 minutes with a 35-9 advantage, tied for the biggest lead after one quarter in NBA playoffs history.

The Grizzlies were a bad road team this regular season, and some of their most disappointing setbacks occurred during the three previous games they played inside Crypto.com Arena. But this was worse.

This was a continuation of what surfaced during last year’s postseason run, when Memphis fell behind by 25 in its first game at Minnesota in the first round and by more than 30 in its first game at Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals.

In the midst of that, Jackson and Bane both found themselves in early foul trouble, further limiting a rotation that was already constrained by the absences of Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke.

The Grizzlies were outshot, outschemed, and outworked by the Lakers in such a lopsided manner that whatever response they mustered later on was far too little, too late.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies mauled by Lakers in Game 3, but Ja Morant offers hope