Rui Hachimura tallied 32 points, including a career-high seven three-pointers, to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 136-124 on Wednesday.
The Japanese national team forward also pulled down 10 rebounds at FedExForum in Memphis to record double-doubles in back-to-back games.
The 26-year-old Hachimura shot a remarkable 7-from-8 from beyond the arc and 11-from-14 overall as he led Los Angeles in scoring.
LeBron James registered a triple-double with 23 points, 12 assists and 14 rebounds for the 41-32 Lakers, winners of five straight.
Hachimura said he had been ready to step up in the absence of frontcourt star Anthony Davis, who sat out a day after James missed the Lakers' 128-124 double-overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
"All the passes came at the right time, on the right spot, so I think I was able to have easy shots," he said.
"I was just trying to be aggressive on the rebound side, especially with (Davis) out."
Memphis continued to be a happy hunting ground for Hachimura after several strong performances in the Lakers' Western Conference first-round playoff series win over the Grizzlies last year.
"When I came here this morning, I had all the flashbacks from last year in playoff time," Hachimura said. "We had some pretty good games in here. I was happy to be able to come back."
With just nine games left before the Western Conference playoffs, the ninth-place Lakers will look to extend their winning streak Friday at the Indiana Pacers.
"We're trying to make a run, and I think everybody came together at the right time," Hachimura said. "We're missing a couple of guys still. Hopefully, they come back soon, and we're going to make a last run for the playoffs."
Hachimura's Akatsuki Japan teammate Yuta Watanabe did not feature for the Grizzlies, who dropped to 24 wins and 49 losses.
Related coverage:
Basketball: Rui Hachimura logs 16-point double-double in 2OT Lakers win
Basketball: Keisei Tominaga looks to NBA Draft, Olympics, after NCAA exit
Basketball: Japanese teams facing tough groups at Paris Olympics
