Lakers Big 3 makes NBA history, recreate iconic picture

The Lakers needed their three big guns to produce against the Grizzlies after the team endured a heartbreaking loss to the Bulls on Thursday. Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed he assembled the three players on Saturday morning to challenge them to up their game in Memphis. He was thrilled with how they responded. 

"We challenged all three of them when we get to their three-man actions to play with a little more force and a little more thrust and a little more creativity," Redick said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "We played as well as we've played so far, offensively."

Reaves provided further details on the meeting.

"I think the meeting was just still trying to build that chemistry amongst the three of us to help the team be successful," he said. "Tonight, it just showed that when we play the right way and trust one another, especially offensively, we can have open looks on almost every possession. ...It was really just a conversation about how bad all of us want to win and win at a high level."

To Reaves' point about the Big 3 creating open looks for others, their teammates were the beneficiaries on Saturday. Rui Hachimura (3-of-5), Dorian Finney-Smith (3-of-7) and Gabe Vincent (4-of-6) combined to shoot 10-of-18 from three, thanks mainly to the gravity created by the Big 3's ability to break down defenses with their dribble penetration.

Besides setting up their teammates, the Big 3 also fed off of each other. One particular play saw Doncic throw an alley-oop to James, leading to a thunderous one-handed jam. Some compared the post-dunk celebration to an iconic picture from James' days in Miami. 

The Lakers (45-29) will next host the Rockets (48-26) on Monday night in another game with potential playoff implications.