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The LA Lakers will hope to end their dismal five-game road trip with a win against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum on Wednesday (Nov. 6). The Purple and Gold looked woefully out of sorts and were thoroughly outplayed by the Detroit Pistons earlier this week. The 115-103 loss saw them slip to 1-3 on their road trip after going down to the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Grizzlies have Ja Morant in the pink of health and rich form, but they haven't been able to carve out wins regularly. They are 4-4 to start the season with the latest defeat coming against the Brooklyn Nets. Despite impressive wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis is 2-2 at home.
The Lakers have issues. Their turnover rate, defensive rating, and their sputtering offense are glaring flaws that need to be addressed. LeBron James and Anthony Davis clocking more than 35 minutes against Detroit (which still ended as a 12-point loss) is a cause for concern as it shows the over-reliance on the team's two superstars.
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Memphis has its injury woes to deal with. Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart are on the injury list and are week-to-week. They have a few more of their role players on the report, making them rely on Morant to do the bulk of the lifting on Wednesday. Both teams met four times last season with the Lakers winning the series 3-1. They also have a 66-40 head-to-head lead over the Grizzlies.
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LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies preview, predicted starting lineups, betting tips, odds, and prediction
The LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies clash tips off at 8 PM ET. Local coverage will be on Spectrum SportsNet and FanDuel Sports Network - Southeast - Memphis. The game can be streamed live on Fubo TV (regional restrictions apply) and on the NBA app with a subscription to the NBA League Pass. The midweek matchup can also be heard on ESPN 92.9FM/680AM and ESPN LA 710/1330 KWKW.
Here's a look at the odds as listed at the time of writing.
Note: Odds are subject to change closer to tip-off
LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies preview
The biggest challenge for the Lakers is to contain Ja Morant. They struggled to defend Cade Cunningham in the last game, Donovan Mitchell the game before, and Devin Booker early on. The mercurial Grizzlies guard has shown what he can be capable of when healthy, and in Bane's absence, there is more usage out of him making him a lethal threat.
Then comes the shooting woes. LA will need D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura to live up to the expectations that they set leading into the season. Russell is far from having a career year having blown hot and cold so far, while Hachimura's shooting has cooled off. Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and Gabe Vincent have shown promise, but are yet to make the level of impact that sees the load reduced significantly on James and Davis.
The Grizzlies can defend, even without Smart. The likes of Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey, and former Laker Scottie Pippen Jr. have all been impressive on that front and will make life tough for LA if they fail to show up on the scoring end. To add, they are faster and are a side that can crank that pace. This means transition defense which has been a bane for the Lakers needs to crank up just as well. Much depends on their bottom-placed defense on Wednesday if they intend to get past Memphis.
LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies predicted starting lineups
If Anthony Davis' assessment of his availability is true, he will be expected to play if LA looks to manage his minutes.
LA Lakers Injury Report for Nov. 6: The Lakers have listed Davis (ankle) as questionable. Reaves (ankle) and Russell (foot) are probable. Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood continue to be out as they recover from their foot and knee surgeries.
The Grizzlies will most likely field the same lineup they did against the Nets earlier this week.
Memphis Grizzlies Injury Report for Nov. 6: The Grizzlies will be without Bane (oblique), Smart (ankle), GG Jackson II (foot), Vince Williams (leg), and Cam Spencer (ankle). John Konchar (quad) is questionable, as is Luke Kennard (foot).
LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies betting tips
Keep an eye out for Ja Morant who is listed -115/-106 on points. Austin Reaves is -120 over and -120 under on points. LeBron James is 104/-110 on points.
LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies prediction
Despite the loss in the previous game, the Lakers are a side that can string up a solid win on Wednesday if they do their basics right. If they can muster the "pride" JJ Redick asked them to play defense with, this will be a winnable contest. Back LA to end their road trip with a win.
Grizzlies Nation! You can check out the latest Memphis Grizzlies Schedule and dive into the Grizzlies Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.
