Memphis Grizzlies: Previewing The Four-Game Road Trip

Los Angeles Lakers

The first meeting between these two teams did not go according to plan for the Grizzlies. They lost at home on December 8th by the score of 111-88.

That game got out of hand early on and Memphis was never able to battle back and make it a ballgame. It was a day where seemingly everything went wrong that possibly could have.

The Los Angeles Lakers outrebounded the Grizzlies 57-36 which included 19 offensive rebounds. Tyson Chandler dominated on the glass with a game-high 14 rebounds.

One of the very few positives in that game was the play of Wayne Selden. He led the team in scoring with a season-high 17 points.

This was before he nearly got traded though so I wouldn’t expect a similar performance in this game. He likely will play a few minutes but if he is playing big minutes again it likely means another blowout.

The Lakers have turned a corner since their early season struggles. They are playing like one of the best teams in the NBA as you would expect with the best player in the world in Lebron James.

So far this season James is averaging 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. He has been carrying this team due to some key injuries.

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Kyle Kuzma has been the second option on this team as he has really built off of a good rookie season and taken it to the next level.

Through the Lakers first 29 games, he is averaging 18 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He has been a great compliment alongside James in the starting lineup.

It’s still uncertain whether or not guys such as Brandon Ingram or Rajon Rondo will be healthy by the time these two face off.

It won’t matter who’s out on that floor for the Grizzlies if they don’t play better than they did last time then it will be another loss.

Memphis needs to do a good job of making sure they don’t give up any easy baskets. The Lakers are shooting just 70% from the free-throw line which is last in the NBA.

It’s going to be a very tough game to win. On the last game of a road trip, it’s tough to play with the energy needed to get a win. If they can do that expect the Grizzlies to pull off the upset to take some momentum back home to Memphis.