The Grizzlies amassed a season-high point total Wednesday in their 128-119 win over the Lakers. The teams tip it off again Friday at Staples Center to complete their home-and-home set. Memphis goes for a ninth straight win over LA and hasn’t trailed at any point in two games against them this season.
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SCHEDULING
The Grizzlies have been just good enough to beat up on the weaker sisters in the NBA, and that has them in line for a playoff spot in the Western Conference as they navigate the remainder of the season without Marc Gasol. Their last seven wins have come against teams with a combined losing percentage of .657 and none of the seven currently has more than 24 wins. Memphis covered in each game and is 7-3 SU and ATS in its last 10. The three losses are to teams with a better than .500 record.
It was another fruitless road trip for the Lakers as they dropped all three to extend their current losing skid to seven games. The final game of the trip was in Memphis on Wednesday and resulted in a 128-119 defeat. LA lost both games to the Griz this season by a combined 25 points and never had a lead. Both games were on the road, now the Lakers get a chance on their home floor to end an eight-game losing streak to the Grizzlies.
INJURIES
The Grizzlies announced that center Marc Gasol is done for the season after having surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot. Also, guard Tony Allen missed the last two games with a sore left knee and his status for Friday is unclear.
Kobe Bryant suffered a dislocated right middle finger against San Antonio last Friday, but was able to play at least 24 minutes in each game on the Lakers recent three-game road trip. He hasn’t missed a final game on the road since November, but could sit now that the team has returned home.
KEY MATCHUP
Now that the Lakers have announced D’Angelo Russell will be their starting point guard for the remainder of the season, it’s safe to assume Jordan Clarkson will slide over to the two spot, relegating Lou Williams to the bench. Clarkson had been the starting point guard while coach Byron Scott worked his tough love routine on the No. 1 pick, but the switch allows Clarkson to move to a more comfortable spot on the floor while Russell will get some on-the-job training over the final two months of the NBA season. The two backcourt pieces should be a big part of the Lakers rebuild plan and fans caught a glimpse of what the future looks like on Wednesday. Clarkson is the Lakers leading scorer, but only once this season did he score more points than the 28 he laid on the Grizzlies. He hit 10 of 18 shots, including 6 of 11 from three-point range. In nine games this month, Clarkson is shooting 52.8 percent from the field, 53.7 percent from behind the arc and averaging 18.9 points, well above his season average of 15.7.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Usually it’s a good thing when a team returns home from a road trip. Not so for the Lakers, who have been equally miserable on the Staples Center floor. The Lakers are just 6-19 SU at home, and their six home victories are the fewest among Western Conference teams and just one better than the lowly Sixers. The Lakers covered the spread in their last two home games and are a decent 12-13 ATS. While their offense has produced five straight games with more than 100 points, the Lakers defense continues to be a problem. They’ve allowed a whopping 120.2 points per game over their last six and allowed the Grizzlies to score a season-high 128 on Wednesday. When you give up that many to Memphis, you know there are some serious problems.
Memphis 114, Los Angeles 107
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