This Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers (29-32) will face the Memphis Grizzlies (36-23). Starting time for the match at the FedExForum is 7:30 PM EST.
Update injury status LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell and Ja Morant
It was a 122-121 victory for the Lakers in the first matchup between these two teams this season.
In their previous game, the Los Angeles Lakers won 111-108 over the Dallas Mavericks. Second half, they stepped up their defense, which was crucial if they were going to challenge the Grizzlies on the road.
For tonight’s game against the Grizzlies, the Lakers will be without LeBron James.
The surging Los Angeles Lakers, without LeBron James, will face one of the best teams in the Western Conference in the Memphis Grizzlies.
On Wednesday, the Lakers will begin a back-to-back on the road against the Thunder, and James has already hinted that he may skip at least one of the games despite the high stakes involved.
The Lakers anticipate a lengthy absence from James after he hurt his right foot against the Mavericks on Sunday.
James will miss Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies and the team’s medical staff will likely continue evaluating the star forward over the next few days to determine how long he will be out. Charania reports that the team is preparing for James to miss significant time while he sees specialists.
While James will be available to play on Wednesday against Oklahoma City, his absence against the Grizzlies may lead to increased playing time for Rui Hachimura, Lonnie Walker, and Troy Brown.
Additionally, the Lakers reported that starting point guard D’Angelo Russell is questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies due to the right ankle sprain that forced him to miss Saturday’s game against Dallas.
Russell is expected to miss his second straight game after suffering a right ankle sprain when play resumed after the All-Star break.
In the same vein as the Lakers, the Grizzlies have just played their best game of the season. They outscored the Western Conference’s best team, the Denver Nuggets, 112-94 on Saturday night in a game that was billed as a potential preview of the conference finals.
They were outstanding on both ends of the court, and they’ll need to keep it up if they want to win this game and finish the season strong at home.
In 24 minutes of play, Ja Morant scored 23 points (9-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-5 FT), grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists, and stole one ball.
In just 24 minutes of action, Morant was a game-changer for the Grizzlies, contributing to an 18-point victory with a spectacular performance.
The All-Star point guard has posted February averages of 25.6 points, 7.0 boards, and 7.6 assists in eight games.
I’m rooting for him to keep getting better, especially against a Lakers team that’s missing their best player.
