WHO: Memphis Grizzlies (51-31, 16-25 away) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (43-39, 23-18 home)
WHEN: 9:00 P.M. CT
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: TNT/Bally Sports Southeast/92.9 FM ESPN Memphis
INJURY REPORT:
MEMPHIS: Steven Adams (Out, Right Knee PCL Sprain), Brandon Clarke (Out, Left Achilles Tear), Jake LaRavia (Out, Rigth Calf Soreness)
L.A. LAKERS: LeBron James (Probable, Right Foot Stress), Anthony Davis (Probable, Right Foot Soreness), Dennis Schroder (Probable, Right Achilles Soreness)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS:
MEMPHIS: Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman Sr.
L.A. LAKERS: D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Jarred Vanderbilt, Anthony Davis
The Memphis Grizzlies enter Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers in a near must-win territory, as they face the potential of being down 3-1 after losing Game 3 to fall behind 2-1 in this best-of-7 first-round series. The record of NBA teams that have fallen behind 1-3 in a series is 13-258. The Grizzlies themselves are 0-3 in this scenario including losing last season to the Golden State Warriors in the 2nd round and the 2021 playoffs against the Utah Jazz in the first round after falling behind 1-3 in those series. How can the Grizzlies avoid this hole?
Forget the 1st Quarter of Game 3
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong in the first quarter of Game 3 for the Memphis Grizzlies. The team missed a plethora of shots both inside and outside beginning the game shooting 3-25 (12%) from the field including 0-14 from three. Factor in that the team turned the ball over six times in the first quarter, and all of this led to the Grizzlies falling to a very early 26-point deficit to end the 1st quarter trailing 35-9. Considering the team outscored the Lakers by 16 points the rest of the way to lose by only 10 points, ultimately that first quarter was what lost the Grizzlies that ball game. Forgetting everything that happened to begin Game 3 is the best method for moving forward.
Get Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane going early
The Memphis Grizzlies have a “Big 3,” but two of those members were no-shows in the first half of Game 3. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane combined to shoot 1-6 to go along with a combined 5 turnovers and 6 fouls (3 each) in the first half of Game 3. That simply cannot happen if the Grizzlies want to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in this series. Missing 2 of your top 7 guys in Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, your star players have to carry the load almost every single night in the playoffs. While Ja Morant did the best he could playing with his own injury, your 2nd and 3rd guys have to help out early and often. Getting Jaren Jackson Jr. involved early in the halfcourt offense should do the trick as that can relieve the pressure on the guards to have to create for everyone against the stifling Lakers’ defense.
The Prediction
Considering the level of play the Grizzlies displayed in the 2nd through 4th quarters in Game 3 combined with the near must-win nature of Game 4, this sets up to be the Grizzlies’ best all-around performance in this series. Ja Morant finally looked completely like his dominant self especially in the 4th quarter when he scored 22 consecutive points for the team and both Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. played up to par in the 2nd half of Game 3. Also, Taylor Jenkins is known for his game-to-game adjustments, so expect to see a lot of the success that the team had in the 2nd half of Game 3 on full display in Game 4. They’ll return home in Game 5 tied 2-2, as the older Lakers team will not have the benefit of two days rest again for the rest of this series.
MEMPHIS 106, L.A. LAKERS 102