LOS ANGELES — Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell spun around and shouted in celebration, his fourth 3-pointer — a wild step-back from well beyond the arc — having had just hit the bottom of the net. 

Los Angeles’ joy was Memphis’ agony.

That shot put the Grizzlies down by 31 in the second half of a 2023 first-round NBA playoff series game they lost by 40, 125-85, in Game 6 on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

The promise of reaching a Game 7 in FedExForum came to a screeching halt with the largest playoff defeat in franchise history. 

Herrington: Grizzlies face — and embrace — battle with history in Los Angeles

And that is it. Curtains. 

For the Grizzlies, it was a season defined by adversity, until the very end. Eventually, the blows caught up with them. 

It’s now, with the best-of-seven series in the books, that Memphis can play the what-if game. 

What if they hadn’t let their Game 4 lead slip away?

What if Steven Adams was available in the series?

Herrington: Reasons to believe the Grizzlies altered their course in Game 5

What if Brandon Clarke had not torn his Achilles?

What if Luke Kennard had not injured his shoulder?

It is the immediate reaction, before they turn to offseason questions. It is a natural response. 

“It would be dumb to say that (injuries) didn’t play a part in (the series loss),” Desmond Bane said afterward. “Steven was a big part of our team, and (Clarke) was too.”

Ja Morant echoed that response. 

“The problem in the series was rebounding, and before (Adams) went out he was the best rebounder in the league,” Morant said. “(Clarke), with what he brings for us off the bench, that’s another big body who helps us on the boards and with scoring. Luke (Kennard), he spaces the floor and is able to shoot. Even me, I was out there battling but not 100%.”

But Friday, the Grizzlies were thoroughly outplayed from start to finish. 

Morant knew that, too. 

“Health is important, but we play with what we got, so I’m not trying to use that as an excuse right now,” he said. “With the guys we had, we should have been better.”

Stars power Grizzlies to do-or-die Game 5 win

Russell, who averaged just 12 points against Memphis last season in the playoffs, poured in 31 Friday. He nearly outscored the Grizzlies’ star trio of Bane, Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. on his own. Those three totaled just 39 points. 

Santi Aldama led the Grizzlies with 16 points. Bane added 15 on 5-of-16 shooting. Morant was 3-16 for 10 points.

Stumbling out of the block

In a do-or-die scenario, Memphis’ focus in the first quarter was not what was expected. 

Jackson said the team was angry. Instead, the Grizzlies looked rattled. 

Los Angeles dominated the early minutes in all areas as Memphis struggled to make anything around the rim.

Even the freebies wouldn’t go. They missed four of their first eight free throws and started 4-for-15 (26.7%) in the paint.

Tyus Jones, who played the role of injured Kennard, smoked a wide-open layup at the rim. Jackson missed a gimme, too. 

Calkins: Desmond Bane says the Grizz are ‘going to be back’ for Game 7. Who are we to doubt?

On the other end, Los Angeles made Memphis pay for all of its mistakes. 

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins’ strategy defensively was clear. He wanted his team to switch players on every pick-and-roll. But that became problematic when guarding Anthony Davis, who just bullied his way to the block and dropped the ball in the hoop over the heads of Grizzlies guards. 

Pure dominance by Anthony Davis. pic.twitter.com/wU8HISZvo5

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 29, 2023

For at least the third time this series, Davis was far and away the most dominant player in the game. The Grizzlies continued to test him on the interior. Nearly every time he sent them away empty. 

Jackson, who was Davis’ primary matchup, started the game 1-for-8 from the floor. Bane started 1-for-7. 

This is alarming. pic.twitter.com/QC2nwUYrgm

— Jeffrey Wright (@JWright929espn) April 29, 2023

So into the 20-point road hole they went, exactly what they were trying to avoid. 

“Can we finally do something on the road?” Jenkins asked aloud before the game. “We’ve been a team that hasn’t played well on the road all season long. We lost the first two games in LA. We have to find a way to win one here.”

Coming apart

At halftime, Jenkins told his team that it was all about belief. 

When the Grizzlies took the court to begin the second half, Morant gave Jackson a ‘let’s go’ nod. 

Down 17, it had been the Lake Show vs. the No Show. It was then or never. 

Morant came out of the break with a triple.

Grizzlies podcast: Can Memphis make a comeback?

Immediately, the Lakers responded with three makes from deep. The deficit ballooned to 23. Any chance of a comeback became bleaker by the minute. 

By the start of the fourth quarter, Lakers coach Darvin Ham had removed his stars from the game. The Lakers led by 33 and were shooting 60% from the floor. 

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, were shooting 30% overall and worse than 28% in the paint. They never pulled it together. 

On to the offseason

Friday night begins an offseason of intrigue for Memphis. 

The franchise has a clear core of three players, all younger than 25 years old. 

Bane is eligible for a contract extension, which Memphis will surely work hard to make happen. 

Grizzlies Insider: Memphis players tell Taylor Jenkins ‘keep challenging us’

But much of the attention will be on Dillon Brooks, who now becomes a free agent. Brooks again did not speak Friday after the loss. 

Has he played his final game in a Grizzlies uniform after six seasons in Memphis? It is a possibility. 

Roster changes will be here soon enough. 

“We understand our core – who we are building with and the depth of our team,” Jenkins said. “We have a lot of great players and competitors on this team. 

“We will cross that bridge when we get there. I’m going to sit back and take some time to think about this season. ... It’s not going to be one summer or one move, it’s going to be a collection of everything that we do. 

“We are building something special. I have so much faith in the leadership of this group, my partnership with (general manager Zach Kleiman) and the core that we have here. It’s going to be a great summer. 

“Every summer that I’ve been here has been pivotal. This will be another one where we ask, ‘How can we take the next step to represent as an organization to represent our city, our fans and basketball in our region so we can ultimately bring a championship to Memphis?’ ”