Luka Doncic scores 36 as Lakers rally past Grizzlies, 120-114

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 36 points with nine rebounds and eight assists, LeBron James added 26 points with 10 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 120-114 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night.

Jake LaRavia also scored 26 points against his former team and Deandre Ayton had 15 points as the Lakers earned their second home victory over the Grizzlies in three days. The consecutive victories came after Los Angeles lost four of its previous five contests.

Jaylen Wells scored 23 points for Memphis and rookie Cedric Coward scored 16 points with nine rebounds, all in the first half, but did not play after halftime because of an ankle injury.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 14 points and Jock Landale had 13 points with 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who lost their fourth consecutive game.

Memphis guard Ja Morant (calf) was out for 15th time over the past 21 games.

The Lakers trailed by 11 points with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter before closing the period on an 8-2 run to trail 87-83.

Los Angeles tied it 92-92 on a driving layup by LaRavia with 7:14 remaining then took its first lead since the first quarter at 94-92 on another layup by LaRavia.

The teams traded the lead back and forth before the Lakers took the lead for good at 100-99 on a pullup jumper from Doncic with 5:12 remaining. Consecutive 3-pointers from Doncic put Los Angeles up 112-103 with 2:08 left.

The victory came without Rui Hachimura (calf) for the third consecutive game, while Austin Reaves (calf) missed his fourth consecutive contest.

Grizzlies: Home against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday

Lakers: At the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) gestures during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) goes to the basket against the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) drives against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Memphis Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward (23) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small (10) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations, citing the Second Amendment and recent shootings at bases across the country.

In a video posted to X, Hegseth said he is signing a memo that will direct base commanders to allow requests for troops to carry privately owned firearms “with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection.”

He said any denial of a service member's request must be explained in detail and in writing.

“Effectively, our bases across the country were gun-free zones,” Hegseth said. "Unless you're training or unless you are a military policeman, you couldn't carry, you couldn't bring your own firearm for your own personal protection onto post."

Questions about why service members lacked access to weapons have often emerged following shootings on the nation's military bases. Such shootings have ranged from isolated events between service members to mass casualty events, such as the shootings by an Army psychiatrist at Texas’ Ford Hood in 2009 that left 13 people dead.

Hegseth cited some of the events in his video, including a shooting that injured five soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia last year. Officials said the shooter, an Army sergeant who worked at the base, used his personal handgun before he was tackled by fellow soldiers and arrested.

“In these instances, minutes are a lifetime,” Hegseth said. “And our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count.”

Defense Department policy has prohibited military personnel from carrying personal weapons on base without permission from a senior commander, with strict protocol for how the firearms must be stored.

Typically, military personnel must officially check their guns out of secure storage to go to on-base hunting areas or shooting ranges, then check all firearms back in promptly after their sanctioned use. Military police are often the only armed personnel on base, outside of shooting ranges, hunting areas or in training, where soldiers can wield their service weapons without ammunition.

Tanya Schardt, senior counsel at the Brady gun violence prevention organization, said in a statement that Defense Department leaders and the military’s top brass have opposed relaxing the current policy, which was originally enacted under President George H.W. Bush.

“Our military installations are among the most guarded, protected properties in the world, and they’ve never been ‘gun-free zones,’” Schardt said. “If there is a problem with violent crime on these installations, then the Secretary of Defense has an obligation to alert the American people and describe how he’s working to prevent that crime."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)