Another triple-double from LeBron James leads the Lakers to their third win in a row

LeBron James came into the season easier by giving balls to Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, adopting JJ Redick’s style and allowing his teammates to establish themselves in the first few games of his 21st season.

Maybe it was because he respected a new process. Perhaps it was a sign that time, the opponent he had never lost to, would ultimately win.

Or maybe it was all just a mirage: The NBA’s all-time leading scorer and one of its greatest players was still lurking, waiting for the moment to strike.

On Wednesday, James did everything he could to lead the Lakers to a 128-123 victory over Memphis.

When the offense stalled, he scored. As the ball bounced off the rim, he caught it. And when a teammate got up, he found him.

James scored 35 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 14 assists – his third straight triple-double – all leading to victories for the Lakers at their home arena.

It is the fourth time in his career that he has recorded consecutive triple-doubles. Among the 11 oldest players to ever record a triple-double, James has 10 of them.

The heroic act on Wednesday was that the Lakers blew an early 15-point lead while their leading scorer, Anthony Davis, was hampered by foul trouble and largely ineffective.

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Through it all, James was great, keeping the Lakers engaged and in the game even when things faltered.

The Lakers, who had two days off to prepare for the Grizzlies, attacked Memphis early and played like a team looking to come from behind after last week’s loss at Tennessee.

The ball flew from side to side and the Lakers created open threes through crisp passes, powerful cuts and colliding screens.

They fixed many of their defensive problems by sprinting back in transition and eliminating Memphis misses off the glass.

And then it stopped.

Everything the Lakers did right in the opening minutes Wednesday quickly changed as the team’s energy waned and their intentions gave way to bad habits.

Even though the Grizzlies were without their starters Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, Memphis prepared the Lakers’ defense in a way that made strong performances in the last two games seem like anomalies.

Led by Jaren Jackson Jr., the only healthy member of the Grizzlies’ Big Three, Memphis outscored the Lakers 70-53 in the second and third quarters, while the Lakers half-heartedly batted for the ball and committed foul fouls.

But the Lakers persevered thanks to James, Rui Hachimura and rookie Dalton Knecht, who scored a career-high 19 points on all five of his three-point shots.

Knecht and Hachimura combined to shoot 13 of 15 from the field and score 38 points.

“He was the catalyst for our comeback,” Redick said of Knecht.

And after getting back into the game with five fouls midway through the fourth period, Davis hit two crucial three-pointers to push the Lakers through the tape for their sixth straight home win of the season.

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It’s their best start to a year at their stadium since 2010. In the 1988-89 season, the Lakers began the year with 17 straight home wins.

The Lakers begin group play in the NBA Cup against the Spurs on Friday in San Antonio.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.