On the heels of a disappointing 133-120 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Lakers look to rebound against the Memphis Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back.
Friday’s game marked the Lakers’ final regular-season matchup against the Spurs. Los Angeles entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead, but another strong offensive performance by DeMar DeRozan was ultimately too much to overcome after San Antonio pulled ahead.
Los Angeles now takes on a defensive-minded Memphis team that has exceeded expectations thus far. At 15-9, the Grizzlies find themselves a half-game up on the Lakers in the Western Conference standings.
Memphis enters with the fifth-best defensive rating at 105.7. The team is holding the opposition to only 102.4 points per game — good for second in the NBA.
The Lakers and Grizzlies meet for the first time since March 24 of the 2017-18 NBA regular season. Kyle Kuzma propelled Los Angeles to a 100-93 victory with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the absence of Brandon Ingram.
A similar storyline could potentially play out on Saturday, as Ingram has already been ruled out with an ankle injury. The Duke product has been sidelined since Wednesday, when he logged just five minutes of playing time before suffering an ankle injury.
MRI results confirmed that Ingram sustained a left ankle sprain and he will now be reevaluated in one week.
Likewise, Lakers forward Michael Beasley will be unavailable in Saturday’s bout against the Grizzlies after leaving the team to tend to a family health matter.
Los Angeles Lakers (15-10) @ Memphis Grizzlies (15-9)
5:00 P.M. PT, Dec. 8, 2018
FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM (ESPN)/1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Projected Lakers starting lineup:
PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Josh Hart
SF: LeBron James
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: JaVale McGee
Key Reserves: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tyson Chandler, Lance Stephenson, Moritz Wagner
Projected Grizzlies starting lineup:
PG: Mike Conley
SG: Garrett Temple
SF: Kyle Anderson
PF: Jaren Jackson Jr.
C: Marc Gasol
Key Reserves: Shelvin Mack, JaMychal Green, Wayne Selden Jr., MarShon Brooks
