Gameday Pr0phile - Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

(26-23, 4th Southwest)

Los Angeles Lakers

(25-24, 3rd Pacific)

Lakers Team Stats
Offense 98.1 ppg, 20.1 apg, 42.6 rpg
Defense 97.0 ppg, 20.6 apg, 41.0 rpg

Opposing Team Stats
Offense 90.0 ppg, 19.1 apg, 38.9 rpg
Defense 87.9 ppg, 19.2 apg, 41.8 rpg

Season Series
Memphis leads the series, 2-1.

Last Meeting:

Memphis won in overtime, 100-99

image courtesy AP / Jessica Kourkounis

Top 6 Lakers

PG Smush Parker 11.4 points, 3.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds
SG Kobe Bryant 35.4 points, 4.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds
SF Lamar Odom 13.9 points, 5.3 assists, 9.4 rebounds
PF Kwame Brown 5.9 points, 0.9 assists, 5.9 rebounds
C Chris Mihm 10.6 points, 1.0 assists, 6.8 rebounds
6th Brian Cook 7.7 points, 0.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds

Top 6 Opponents
PG Bobby Jackson 11.8 points, 3.1 assist, 3.4 rebounds
SG Eddie Jones 12.6 points, 1.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds
SF Mike Miller 13.4 points, 2.5 assists, 5.7 rebounds
PF Pau Gasol 19.5 points, 4.2 assists, 9.2 rebounds
C Jake Tsakalidis 2.8 points, 0.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds
6th Shane Battier 11.3 points, 1.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds

Key Matchup: Kwame vs. Gasol
Here we go. Last time the teams met, Kwame played 21 completely ineffective minutes, meaning Odom had to cover Gasol. The results? 24-13-4 from Gasol and just 3-9 shooting and 9 points for Odom. Kwame has been up and down this season like no other Laker outside of Odom, but his defense has been surprisingly and consistently above average. After a solid job on Yao, especially in the first half, I expect him to play a much more important role in this game than he did in the previous Memphis game.

Of course, we can’t forget that Chucky Atkins now plays for Memphis. Former Lakers love to kill LA, so watch for a duel of inept defenders at the PG spot whenever Atkins is in there against Smush.

Featured Peformers
Kobe Bryant 32 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds
Pau Gasol 19 points, 4 assists, 10 rebounds

X-Factor (not a star, but someone who can turn the tide)
Brian Cook 8 points, 1 assists, 4 rebounds
Mike Miller 12 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds

Outlook
Key stats…Injuries: Mihm still may not play, Odom seems to have recovered more or less; Mike Miller missed last game with a sprained ankle, but it seems as if he’ll play. Streaks: LA has a 6 game home winning streak. Memphis has a 5-game losing streak.

LA looks to get off on the right foot by winning a close game over a good team, one destined for the playoffs. LA has matched up well against the Grizz this season, with each team winning by a decent margin in one game and then the OT nail biter. If LA has all of their players back and healthy, they’ll take this game.

Lakers 94
Grizzlies 92