Memphis Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles Lakers – Preview
Memphis Grizzlies have won two consecutive matches after losing to the Atlanta Hawks in their season opener and they will be hungry for more, but they have a daunting task ahead of them, as they meet the defending NBA champions
Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Centre Tuesday night. After edging Dallas out by a point in a nail-biter on Friday, the Grizzlies put in a more convincing performance against Minnesota on Saturday as they blanked them by 20 points in 109-89 rout, which saw them
setting a franchise record with 22 steals. They go into the match aiming for a 3-1 result, a feat which they have not achieved since the 2005-06 season.
The Lakers, on the other hand, will be hoping to continue their domination over the Grizzlies at home. The Memphis team has not been able to turn the tables on the Lakers in their last three attempts at the Staples Centre. The
odds are heavily stacked against the Grizzlies this time around as well. The Lakers have started the season in style, scoring at an average of 111 points per game, a second best point differential in the league at 11.33 and are one of the three unbeaten teams
in the competition thus far, Atlanta and New Orleans being the other two. In one-to-one matchup, the Los Angeles Lakers have been supremely dominant over the Grizzlies, winning 42 of 56 total encounters and have lost only five of the 28 at home.
To make matters worse for the Grizzlies, Kobe Bryant, who has a devastating record against the Memphis Grizzlies, is confident to have fully recovered from his knee surgery. The last time these teams met in February at FedEx Forum,
Kobe slipped in a three-pointer in the dying seconds to give 99-98 victory to the Lakers. Concomitant to that, he boasts of an excellent record against the Grizzlies. Bryant has really been their nemesis averaging 35.3 in his last 12 games and even improved
it further last season to 39 per game with an impressive 62.3 percent shooting. Bryant has also hit the ground running in this season as well and has been scoring at an average of 24 points per game.
The Grizzlies’ problems do not end over here as Pau Gasol, a former Grizzlies player, also seems to be in the zone at the start of the season. The tall Spaniard is averaging at 25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals
per game. Lamar Odom has also stepped up to the party and is averaging 16 points per game this season. The Lakers also have increased their bench strength this season by the acquisition of Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff.
Everything seems to be just perfect at the start of the season for the Lakers and their coach Phil Jackson echoed his team’s confidence. "This year, I think we have better chemistry, in terms of the pieces fitting better together
coming off the bench," he said. "I knew as soon as we signed those free agents that we would be better, just because you know what they bring."
With the Lakers seemingly having all the bases covered for Tuesday’s encounter, Memphis really need to play out of their skin to topple them. The Grizzlies will be hoping that Zack Randolph, who has scored six consecutive double-doubles
against the Lakers, returns from his lower back injury. The Grizzlies will also be hoping that Rudy g*y, Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo also carry their form into this contest as they will need all the help they can get to defeat a formidable Lakers outfit.
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