The Lakers didn’t play an overtime game Friday, a shock to the system and just the beginning of the good news for their players and fan base.

Anthony Davis returned from a two-game absence to score 35 points as the Lakers overcame a 20-point deficit (it’s true) to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 115-105, at Staples Center.

Davis showed no lingering issues from his Achilles' heel injury, making 16 of 27 shots as the Lakers (21-6) won their seventh consecutive game.

The scoreboard was broken, had to be malfunctioning, when it showed the bizarre first-quarter score of Grizzlies 22, Lakers 2. But it was true.

The Lakers methodically pushed back against the so-so Grizzlies (10-11) to win this season for the eighth time when trailing by double digits. It’s an impressive stat on the one hand and also a surprising reminder that the Lakers fall behind so often.

LeBron James didn’t log more than 40 minutes, surely a relief to him, but still had nice numbers — 28 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in a relatively palatable 34 minutes. He averaged 43.3 minutes in the Lakers’ three previous games, all of which went to overtime or double overtime.

Kyle Kuzma scored 20 points off the bench and continued to help in other ways, this time taking 10 rebounds, five on offense. It’s a tad early to say it with authority, but Kuzma is slowly completing the transition from pure scorer to a well-rounded player in his fourth pro season.

It wasn’t all good times for the Lakers. There was a brief scare when Montrezl Harrell left in the fourth quarter after accidentally getting hit by Kuzma’s elbow. He was having a solid game, with 14 points and seven rebounds, when he walked to the locker room under his own power after staying prone on the court for a short time. He returned to the bench and was available to play but didn’t reenter the game.

A big headline for the Lakers would show a 5-0 mark in their now-concluded five-game homestand. However, the fine print would show one win against a team with a winning record (Denver) as the Lakers played haphazardly, be it winning in three consecutive overtimes or, like Friday, coming back from 20 down to win in regulation.

There was one other note of satisfaction for the Lakers: Alex Caruso had two points and six assists after returning from a two-game absence because of a hand injury. Caruso hadn’t had that many assists in almost a year.