It is March 25, 2012 and the (30-18) Los Angeles Lakers don their Sunday white jerseys to face the (25-21) Memphis Grizzlies, an hour later than usual. The Lakers beat the Portland Trailblazers 103-96 on March 23, 2012 but an interesting take-away from that game was that all five starters for the Lakers were in double digits, highlighted by point guard Ramon Sessions’ 20-point 11-assist performance in his first start with the team.
L.A. recorded a season-high 33-assists and out-rebounded Portland 53-29. Sessions has averaged 13.6-points and seven assists in his five games sporting a purple and gold jersey. The Lakers are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are riding a two-game winning streak.
Sessions’ performance has made the game easier for everyone. His ability to make plays is allowing teammate Kobe Bryant to play shooting guard without the added task of creating offense for others. Previous match-ups between the Lakers and the Grizzlies has presented LakerNation with some forgettable moments.
L. A. leads the all-time series against Memphis (46-16). The Lakers are 16-6 all-time against the Grizzles at the Staples Center, 5-1 in their last six games at home. The purple and gold are 7-3 overall in their last 10 meetings with the blue and gold. The Lakers lead the current season series against the Grizzlies (2-0) after splitting last season’s series.
In the most recent game, L.A. – led by Bryant & center Andrew Bynum combining for 71 points – overcame a 17-point deficit on the road to pull out a 116-111 win in overtime. Bynum led all scorers with his 37 points and 16 rebounds, his third career 30+ point game. However, the Grizzlies put up a tremendous fight and had six players score in double digits.
The Lakers’ defense is improving but still has room for improvement. The Grizzlies are reeling; the road has not been kind and Memphis is trying to stop a three-game losing skid on their four-game west coast road trip. Memphis is 4-6 in their last 10 games. Since an 11-2 stretch, the Grizzlies have lost six out of eight games and have slipped in the Western Conference standings. If the NBA playoffs started today, tonight’s matchup would be between the number three-seeded Lakers with the home court advantage against the number six-seeded Grizzlies.
In 56 career games, (49 starts) Kobe Bryant is averaging 24.9 points against the Grizzlies. The matchup of the Gasol brothers (L.A. power forward Pau Gasol’s brother, Marc, plays center for Memphis) is always special. In 12 games, against his former team (Pau was a Grizzly from 2001 – 2008), he is averaging 15.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.50 blocks.
The Grizzlies are a talented young team that wants to play up-tempo basketball and run the Lakers out of the gym. The speed-on-speed matchup of Ramon Sessions against Memphis point guard Mike Conley will be interesting. The Lakers have to stop the dribble penetration of Memphis’ guards, control the tempo, do a solid job of defending the pick-and-roll play, get back in transition, control the boards and quickly rotate out to open shooters.
As well, L.A. needs to continue to establish Bynum and Pau Gasol in the painted area. Like most teams in the league, the Grizzlies do not have the size to match up with the Lakers’ front line. The west coast team needs to attack the Grizzlies on the interior. They must communicate on defense, keep their men in front of them and receive a huge contribution from their reserves.
It is imperative that the Lakers step up their game on defense tonight. In the last meeting, three of the six double-digit scorers for the Grizzlies came off the bench. L.A. has to limit the impact of Grizzlies’ center Mareese Speights who looked unstoppable in that earlier 25-point, 12-rebound performance.
Starters
Lakers: R. Sessions, K. Bryant, M. Peace, P. Gasol, A. Bynum
Grizzlies: M. Conley, T. Allen, R. Gay, Z. Randolph, M. Gasol
Tip-off: 7:30 PM PST
Television –
- Los Angeles: FS West (Bill Macdonald & Stu Lantz) & ESPN
- Memphis: FS South TN (Pete Pranica & Sean Tuohy) & ESPN
Radio –
- Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (John Ireland & Mychal Thompson)
- Memphis: 103.5 FM (Eric Hasseltine & Hank McDowell)
Injuries –
Lakers:
None
Grizzlies:
- Darrell Arthur (Achilles Tendon) Out