Grizzlies Continue West Coast Road Trip with Rematch against Lakers

The Memphis Grizzlies (2-8) are back in action tonight with a late matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers (5-5). The second game of three in its road trip, Memphis will finish in San Antonio on Saturday. Catch the game at 9:30 pm CST on League Pass, Bally Sports packages, or 92.9 ESPN FM. 

Tonight’s game features an emotional matchup versus the team that knocked the Grizzlies out of the playoffs, ending their 2023 season in heartbreaking fashion. The series featured quips from both sides and clearly, no love was lost between the two teams.

For the Lakers, Anthony Davis has had a dominant start to the season, averaging 24 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists on 37% shooting from three. He will be a tough but necessary cover for the defense tonight. Bismack Biyombo’s minutes have proven a great positive for Memphis thus far, and his size will be crucial for containing Davis, thus allowing Jackson Jr. to have a bit more roaming potential. 

The lack of quality forward depth, even with Xavier Tillman’s imminent return, which will add more size to the team’s reserves, will be a challenging cover. L.A. can deploy a range of wings, including Lebron James himself. James has had a strong and healthy start to the season, averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. Defending James, as well as players like D’Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, or Austin Reaves, will require attention to detail and clean, disciplined actions to keep LA off the free-throw line. 

Although the game will be a difficult match against a team showing itself to be a likely top-six playoff seed, it’s not impossible to win– the Grizzlies are riding the momentum of a clutch win against the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday afternoon, one that sewed confidence and demonstrated chemistry and coaching improvements, hinting at an upward trajectory. Expect a game that might come down to the wire, a position Memphis has found itself in often. 

An interesting addition to the Grizzlies’ starting lineup over the past few games has been Jacob Gilyard. Gilyard’s presence led to a high-octane first quarter against the Clippers, where Memphis scored 33 points, +6 from their first-quarter average. Gilyard’s lack of turnovers and three-point shooting ability brought a stable point guard hand to the starting lineup, and the scoring boost and high assist rate contributed immensely to the win, too.

Ty Lue did adjust to the Gilyard introduction, so it’s unclear exactly how much he can contribute against a Lakers team with a clear size advantage at guard. Although the Clippers had lost forward depth in the James Harden trade, the Lakers are missing no such depth. 

Again, the Grizzlies will have to play as cleanly as possible to grab the road win tonight. A peak-firing Lakers team likely takes a win, but some of their players can be inconsistent or lose focus for periods of time. Los Angeles is only .500 to start the year, dropping games to the Rockets, Heat, Magic, Kings, and Nuggets. Even though they are a solid team with Hall-of-Famers, they are no juggernaut and can be beaten IF the Grizzlies can stay out of foul trouble and keep the Lakers off the line. 

Make sure to catch the Grizzlies in action at 9:30 CST tonight, and make sure to follow Bluff City Media for more game coverage, insider insights, and more!