It’s Round 2 for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies as they cross paths for the second time this season. Will the Lakers go 2-0 this season against Memphis? Or, will the Grizzlies even things up with a win this weekend?
Catch this game live on Friday, December 10, at 9 AM, Manila time
Away: Los Angeles Lakers (13-12/4-5 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Russell Westbrook
- SG: Wayne Ellington
- SF: LeBron James (probable)
- PF: Anthony Davis (probable)
- C: Dwight Howard
The Lakers are back on track. After losing to the LA Clippers last weekend, the Lakers throttled the Boston Celtics at home last Wednesday for a 117-102 victory. That must feel so good for LeBron James and company, as they avenged their earlier loss to the Celtics back in November. This time around, they are once again looking to win a rematch against another squad. It could be remembered that Los Angeles had already beaten the Grizzlies once this season when the two teams met at STAPLES Center last October.
Carmelo Anthony stunned the Grizzlies with his 28 points off the bench, while Anthony Davis had 22 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. But it’s LeBron that should be the biggest concern of the Grizzlies, given how spectacular the four-time league MVP has been playing of late. James, who scored 30 points on 13/19 shooting from the field against Boston, has averaged 29.0 points on 50.6 FG% in his last four games. As a team, the Lakers have defeated Memphis in the last four meetings between these teams.
Home: Memphis Grizzlies (14-11/8-6 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Tyus Jones
- SG: Desmond Bane
- SF: Dillon Brooks
- PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
- C: Steven Adams
The Grizzlies will look to recover right away following their 104-96 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. That was Memphis’ first loss in six games, a pretty nice stretch still, considering that the Grizzlies have been without the injured Ja Morant for some time now. Morant exploded for 40 points to go with 10 assists in 38 minutes in the October loss to the Lakers, and without him, the Grizzlies are going to rely a lot on the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks. Jackson struggled in the first meeting with Los Angeles, finishing with just 12 points on 3/12 shooting.
But the hope is that Jackson will still be hot when the Grizzlies face the Lakers again, as he is coming off a scintillating performance, albeit in a loss to the Mavs. Jackson scored 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and swatted away a pair of shots in 34 minutes of action versus Dallas. The Grizzlies will look to infuriate Los Angeles with their stingy defense that recorded 13 steals in the initial matchup against the Lakers and 14 in the Dallas game. Memphis, which is second in the NBA with 9.8 steals per game, is 4-1 ATS in its last five home games against the Lakers.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: LeBron is on a roll and I got a feeling Anthony Davis is going to have a big game against Memphis just to prove a point. I like the Lakers to cover (-2.5).
Over/Under: The Grizzlies have done a good job of limiting opponents to low-scoring outputs while Morant is out. The Under (223) looks good.
