Preview: Lakers at Memphis Grizzlies
The Lakers (11-13) wrap up their four-game road trip with a stop in Memphis on Tuesday, visiting the Grizzlies (10-13).
Memphis has dropped three straight, struggling to play without center Marc Gasol, who is sidelined with a knee injury.
The Lakers lost on Monday night to the Hawks in Atlanta. Their Tuesday night game will be their fourth in five nights.
Kobe Bryant is still playing point guard with Jordan Farmar (hamstring), Steve Blake (elbow) and Steve Nash (back) all out with injury.
Memphis point guard Mike Conley is questionable with a thigh injury.
Key matchup
Zach Randolph was nearly unstoppable when the Lakers hosted the Grizzlies on Nov. 15.
Down the stretch, Randolph made key baskets in the 89-86 Memphis win, finishing with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting.
Jordan Hill did his best to guard Randolph. The Lakers can also put Pau Gasol, Shawne Williams, Robert Sacre and even Wesley Johnson on the burly power forward.
Certainly without Marc Gasol, who neared a triple-double against the Lakers with 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, the Lakers can give more attention to Randolph defensively.
Pau Gasol needs to have a big game for the Lakers, not just in the first quarter like he did against the Hawks on Monday.
X-factor
Even at full strength the Grizzlies do not score a lot of points. If Conley doesn’t play, Memphis should struggle to hit 90 points.
The Lakers can win with some offense and Nick Young has proven to be a steady option off the bench.
On the season, Young is the team’s leading scorer at 14.8 points a game.
Jodie Meeks had a huge game in defeat against the Grizzlies, scoring 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
Memphis will need a big night from reserve Jerryd Bayless, considering their injury woes. Bayless is averaging just 7.1 points a game on 34.2% shooting this season.
Outlook
On one hand the Lakers are catching the Grizzlies at exactly the right time, given Memphis’ injuries.
On the other, this will be the fourth road game in five nights for the Lakers.
Bryant still isn’t himself yet after the Achilles’ tendon injury. Pau Gasol is still battling through ankle problems.
The Lakers still have no healthy point guards on the roster.
They should be able to beat the Grizzlies, but they’re going to need to find some energy when the tank is near zero.
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Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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