7:30 PM EST, TNT – Line: Grizzlies -8.5, Over/Under: 235.5
As one team looks to ascend to the top of the West, another is desperately pushing to even get into the playoff field, as the new-look Los Angeles Lakers look to continue on their path against the Memphis Grizzlies in the wake of receiving dire news, from FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s now or never. That’s been the tag line for the Lakers (29-32, 12th in Western Conference) over and over again this season, though after completely remaking their rotation following the Trade Deadline there is a sense of legitimacy surrounding the team that simply hasn’t been there over the past eighteen months. Though they’re still three games below .500, Los Angeles is only one full game out of the play-in tournament, while sitting 3.5 games out of the sixth seed with twenty-one remaining in their schedule, there was a sense of optimism building in the City of Angels that this group can in fact reach their goals. You’ll notice that we used the term was, because all of those good vibes disappeared in the thin following the news that (four-time MVP) LeBron James would miss SEVERAL weeks due to a foot injury suffered in their incredible 27-point comeback win at the Mavericks last Sunday, which was coincidentally the franchise’s largest in over two decades. Winners of three of their last four outings since the Trade Deadline and each of their last three games, the Lakers have had a new lease on life of late, but in order to meet their postseason objective, they must persevere without the presence of James, who will in all likelihood be sidelined for half of their remaining schedule. So, the question at this point is this: given the reinforcements acquired at the Trade Deadline, can they manage to win two-thirds of their remaining games without their leading scorer and chief playmaker? After months of rumors swirling around the club, (General Manager) Rob Pelinka got down to business, finally parting ways with (erstwhile former MVP) Russell Westbrook and several other ill-fitting pieces in an attempt to remake the supporting cast and salvage what may be the last great season of the NBA’s newly minted all-time scoring leader, James (pictured above). So, let’s take a moment to run down the list of transactions, shall we? First, Los Angeles acquired the services of (young Forward) Rui Hachimura in a deal with the Wizards in exchange for (veteran Guard) Kendrick Nunn and minor draft capital, adding an intriguing young piece for the future. Two weeks later, they made plenty of noise at the deadline, taking part in a pair of multi-team trades, acquiring the likes of (young Center) Mo Bamba, (versatile Forward) Jared Vanderbilt, (shooter/defender) Malik Beasley, and most notably (veteran Guard) D’Angelo Russell, who is back for his second tour of duty with the franchise that drafted him second overall back in 2015. In a matter of a few hours, the team got younger at multiple positions, while jettisoning Westbrook along with (veteran Guard) Patrick Beverley in exchange for several players whose skillsets fit much better around James and (All-Star Cener) Anthony Davis, not to mention maintaining their flexibility in the future. Rebuilding the rotation on the fly is a lot to ask of any coaching staff, but credit to Ham & Co for making this work; Beasley went off twenty-five points, including 7-of-11 from three-point range in that win over the Dubs, while Vanderbilt erupted for fifteen points and seventeen rebounds (8 offensive) in that rally over the Mavs. And speaking of that comeback, the Lakers outscored them 64-47 in the second half, shooting a blistering 53.3% from the field, destroying the hosts in the paint (62-32) and points off turnovers (20-9), leading to an advantage in transition (24-19) to boot. James and Davis were as advertised down the stretch, combining for fifty-six points on 22-of-43 shooting (51.1%), with twenty-three rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and four blocks, while the aforementioned Vanderbilt did a tremendous job of defending Dallas’ Luka Doncic. Looking to tonight’s affair with the Grizzlies, the Lakers have taken five of the last eight meetings between the sides, though they’re spirited 122-121 comeback in late January snapped a three-game skid against the bears. Trailing 120-117 with just seventeen seconds left to play in the fourth quarter, (veteran Point Guard) Dennis Schroder cut the deficit to one after a pair of free-throws, and forced a crucial turnover on the ensuing possession, stealing the ball from Desmond Bane and taking the lead on a lay-up and drawing a foul in the process. Another free-throw later and leading by two points with seven seconds to go, Ja Morant (much more on him shortly) missed a nine-footer, only to be rebounded by Brandon Clarke, who was put on the line. With a chance to tie the game, the young forward missed the second single, effectively ending the game altogether. From a betting perspective, Los Angeles is 7-2-1 against the spread over their last ten games regardless of the venue, while going 5-4-1 against the spread in their last ten outings away from cyrpto.com Center. Being underdogs has been good to them, as they’ve covered the number in all but three of their last ten games when they’re getting points, while covering four straight games against opponents with winning records, which is obviously the case tonight. On the injury front, tonight will be the fifteenth game that James will have missed this season, with the four-time NBA Champion reportedly stating that heard something “pop” when he came down off a late drive to the rim, though he did finish out the rally while walking gingerly out of the locker room. For those wondering, Los Angeles is 5-9 without the 38-year-old thus far and will need to do much better than it if they are to make into the play-in tournament. And speaking of ankles, the aforementioned Russell is also listed as questionable after rolling his ankle late against Golden State, causing him to miss last weekend’s affair with the Mavericks.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies (36-23, 2nd in Western Conference) find themselves in an odd place. Despite enjoying a 4.5-game cushion from that aforementioned ten-team glut, they’re also 5.5 games behind the Nuggets for first place out West. So, what is Memphis to do? After securing the second seed last season, expectations were HIGH for a young team that has grown exponentially over the past three years, with (Head Coach) Taylor Jenkins’ troops predicted by many to become a perennial contender. While nobody is arguing that notion, they haven’t been at their best over the past five weeks, in which they’ve lost ten of their last fifteen outings. During that span, the top-rated defensive team in the NBA (109.9 points allowed per 100 possessions) has certainly regressed defensively, allowing 112.4 points per game on 45.8% shooting from the field, including 36.9% from beyond the arc, with 26.7 assists in comparison to forcing 15.9 turnovers, though the biggest issue has been rebounding. On the season, this has been the second-best rebounding unit in the Association (47.8), along with fourth on the defensive end (35.0) and third on the offensive end (12.8), while ranking third in offensive rebounding percentage (28.0%). However, during this current run of form, they’ve been outrebounded by 1.2 boards a night. Needless to say, this is a big issue for a team that relies heavily upon their activity on the glass to create second-chance opportunities. So, what in the name of Bryant Reeves has happened, you ask? Well, they’ve been without (veteran Center) Steven Adams for the past thirteen games due to a lingering PCL sprain in his left knee, depriving Jenkins & Co of a proverbial 6′-11″, 265-pound one-man wrecking crew on the glass. Now in his second season with the franchise, the 29-year-old is averaging a career-high 11.5 rebounds in the forty-two games that he has appeared in, including 5.1 of the offensive variety, matching a personal-best. Simply put, this guy is essential to their success long-term, for when he is in the lineup, the Grizzlies have posted a stellar 28-14 record (.666) in comparison to just 8-9 without him (.475). Furthermore, they’ve been without the New Zealand international for nearly the entirety of this 15-game run of poor form.Looking to tonight’s affair with the Lakers, the Grizzlies are no doubt hungry for payback for that previously mentioned 122-121 thriller in SoCal. After sweeping the season series with Los Angeles last season, their first encounter of 2022-2023 appeared to be headed for a similar outcome, as the visitors took an 89-81 lead into the final stanza of play. However, Memphis went colder than ice down the stretch, shooting 8-of-22 from the field (36.4%), including 2-of-9 from downtown (22.2%), with as many assists (3) as turnovers. Fortunately, their free-throw shooting kept them in the affair (14-of-18), but it simply wasn’t enough to hold onto their advantage in the clutch. We already detailed how things played out with (emerging Shooting Guard) Desmond Bane inexplicably losing control of the basketball and fouling Schroder on the go-ahead lay-up, but that wouldn’t be the final misfortune that befell the TCU product. After Clarke missed the second of his two free-throws, Bane secured the offensive rebound with thoughts of getting off a game-winner, but was whistled out of bounds, with the call affirmed following a lengthy review from the officials. When it was all said and done, neither team shot the ball particularly well, with both doing the majority of their damage from the charity stripe, which wasn’t kind to the bears, who missed FOURTEEN of their FORTY free-throws (65.5%), leading to a -7 differential, which goes a long way towards deciding such a close contest. With Adams in the lineup, there were no problems on the glass in this one, as they outrebounded the hosts 63-47, while amassing a season-high TWENTY-FOUR offensive rebounds, directly leading to nine more shot attempts. Six different Grizzlies scored in double-figures, including three with twenty or more, led by (All-NBA Guard) Ja Morant (pictured above) with twenty-two points on just 9-of-29 shooting (31.0%), along with three rebounds, eight assists, and a disappointing five turnovers. Both Clarke and (Backup Guard) Tyus Jones poured in twenty apiece off the bench, while Adams dominated with sixteen points and seventeen rebounds, eight of them coming on the offensive glass. Expect a big performance from Morant tonight, for he has enjoyed these battles with the Lakers, averaging 25.2 points on 47.2% shooting from the field, including 51.4% from three, along with 4.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.5 steals in nine career meetings. From a betting perspective, the Grizzlies have won four of their last ten games straight-up and are 5-5 against the spread over that span, while matching both of those records in their last ten outings at FedEx Forum. Ditto when they’ve been favored by the oddsmakers. With that said, there are a few trends working against Memphis of late, including a 1-5 record over their last six games against the spread versus opponents with losing records, while matching that mark when following a straight-up victory. Furthermore, they’ve covered just one of their last five contests after a win against the spread, which is the case tonight. On the injury front, the aforementioned Adams will miss yet another game due to a PCL sprain in his left knee.