Anthony Davis defied an injury scare to post a season-high 40 points and 16 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 116-110 on Sunday night.

Austin Reaves had 19 points and eight assists, while LeBron James, who returned after missing two games with a foot injury, had 18 points, eight boards and eight assists for Los Angeles.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 points before retiring for the Grizzlies, whose four-game winning streak came to an end. Ja Morant had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, offset by 6-for-21 from the floor and seven turnovers.

Davis retreated to the locker room with 5:30 left in the third quarter after injuring his left shoulder in a collision with Memphis center Zach Edey during a rebound contest.

However, Davis returned with 9:19 left in the fourth quarter and picked up where he left off, scoring seven straight Lakers points shortly thereafter.

James got off to a quick start, dishing out two assists to Davis in the first minute of the contest before following up a thunderous slam with a chase down Desmond Bane. He then scored on a tip-in to give Los Angeles a 9-2 lead.

Davis had 12 points and seven goals in the first quarter, which ended with the Lakers leading 30-20. The Grizzlies went 5-for-20 from the field in the first quarter of the season.

The Lakers’ lead grew to 44-29 thanks to a 10-0 second quarter score that included a three-pointer from Reaves.

Before the teams went into halftime, Davis posted a double-double, collecting 22 points and 10 rebounds in the first 24 minutes of play, giving Los Angeles a 64-46 lead going into halftime.

After their deficit grew to 23, 81-58, with 6:22 left in the third quarter, the Grizzlies took advantage of Davis’ absence and closed the frame with a 19-5 run.

Morant used a reverse layup to bring Memphis within seven at 105-98 with 5:24 to play, but the hosts found a way to hang on.

–Field level media