Here is what you need to know before the Lakers finish off their road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies.
1)
The last time the Lakers played Memphis, they broke a nine-game losing streak to the Grizzlies with a 107-100 win on March 22. A pair of young Lakers led the series shakeup, as Jordan Clarkson scored a team-high 22 points, while Julius Randle piled up a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double.
2)
Los Angeles is looking to bounce back from a rough showing on Friday night in Toronto. The Lakers were held to a season-low 80 points while losing by 33 to the Raptors. Rookie Brandon Ingram was the only player to have a successful night, scoring a career-best 17 points.
3)
This game will serve as the conclusion of one of the Lakers’ toughest stretches this season. Memphis will be the team’s fourth city in five nights, as the team had to travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans to Chicago to Toronto to Memphis with only one day off.
4)
Injuries have already cost the Lakers their starting backcourt — D’Angelo Russell (sore left knee) and Nick Young (strained calf, right leg) — and now they might be without one of their key bench pieces. Larry Nance Jr. has a contusion on his right knee after bumping it in Friday’s game. He is listed as questionable for Saturday.
5)
If anyone knows about injuries, it’s the Grizzlies. Twenty-seven players had to suit up for a riddled Memphis squad last year, as it became the first in league history to make the playoffs while playing even 24. It’s the same story this year, as the Grizzlies have six players out for this game, including Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Chandler Parsons and Vince Carter.
6)
Conley is probably the biggest loss of the bunch, as he ranks third in the NBA in 3-point percentage (46.7) and is on pace to average career-highs in scoring (19.2), rebounds (3.6) and 3-pointers (2.5). Rookie Andrew Harrison has started in his place, averaging 16.0 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 11-of-20 in two games — a huge improvement from his 1-of-18 clip in his previous three contests.
7)
The Grizzlies do still have a dangerous focal point in Marc Gasol, who is putting up 18.4 points per game. He can harm opposing defenses from inside and out, ranking second in the NBA in post-up scoring (5.7), while shooting 29-of-67 from 3-point range (43.3 percent) after going just 12-of-66 from deep (18.2 percent) in his previous eight years combined.
8)
Lakers fans from the mid-1990s will be sure to see a familiar face sitting on the Grizzlies’ bench. Former Laker Nick Van Exel is in his first season as a Memphis assistant coach 23 years after making his playing debut in L.A. Van Exel led the Lakers in assists for all five of his years with the team, twice ranking in the NBA’s top 10 in dimes and making it to one All-Star Game.
9)
This game will be played at FedExForum, which is a familiar site for Tarik Black and Luke Walton. In addition to serving as home of the Grizzlies, the arena hosts the University of Memphis basketball team, which Black played on from 2010-13. Walton was also briefly an assistant for Black and his fellow Tigers during the 2011 lockout, back when he was still playing for the Lakers.
10)
The Grizzlies have rather large disparities on both ends of the court, as they are the NBA’s fifth-best team in terms of defensive efficiency (101.3 points per 100 possessions), but the fourth-worst in offensive efficiency (99.8). Their aforementioned injuries threaten to hurt an offense that is already third-to-last in both scoring (97.2) and field goal percentage (42.3).
Injury Report
Lakers: D’Angelo Russell (sore left knee) and Nick Young (strained calf, right leg) are out. Larry Nance Jr. (right knee contusion) is questionable. Ivica Zubac is on D-League assignment.
Grizzlies: Mike Conley (lower back), Zach Randolph (personal reasons), Chandler Parsons (left knee), Vince Carter (right hip), James Ennis III (right calf) and Brandan Wright (left ankle) are out.
Tip-off: 5 p.m. PT
TV: Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes
Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW