The Los Angeles Lakers will travel to the FedExForum to take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Dec. 27 and can be seen on TWC, FxS and C+D.
The Grizzlies are expecting a better outcome after their 98-92 loss to the Hornets on Saturday. Mike Conley was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points. The Lakers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 94-84 loss against the Clippers on Friday. D’Angelo Russell led the team in scoring with 16 points.
Over the last five games, Conley has taken his game to another level for the Grizzlies, averaging 19.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers.
This one isn’t expected to be close when the Grizzlies, a substantial 11-point favorite, take on the Lakers. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 197 points. The Grizzlies come into this game 16-16 Straight Up (SU) and 13-18-1 Against The Spread (ATS). While they boast a record of 5-3 against Western Conference opponents at home, they have struggled to beat the spread in those same games, going 3-5. The Grizzlies are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 19.0 per game. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of Memphis’s offense, which averages just 13.1 turnovers per game.
As for their opponent, the Lakers have 5-25 SU and 11-19 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Los Angeles is 1-16 SU and 3-14 ATS.
The conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Memphis won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record to 8-2 over the Lakers in their last 10 meetings. The Lakers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-1-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mem, ATS Winner – Mem, O/U – Under
Notes
Memphis is 4-8-1 ATS in its last 13 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Memphis’s last 6 games.
Memphis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
Memphis is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home.
Memphis is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Memphis’s last 9 games when playing LA Lakers.
Memphis is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Lakers.
Memphis is 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games when playing LA Lakers.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Memphis’s last 7 games when playing at home against LA Lakers.
Memphis is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers.
On average, Los Angeles puts up 96.2 points per game (ranked 28th), while Memphis allows 99.8 points per game (ranked 12th).
Los Angeles ranks 24th in points per away game with 95.8 points, while Memphis ranks 19th in points allowed at home with 100.9.
The Los Angeles Lakers are an even 3-3 when they keep their opponents to fewer than 100 points. The Memphis Grizzlies have an underachieving record of 5-15 this season when they score less than 100.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a subpar 2-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Memphis Grizzlies are 11-1 when they hit the century mark.
The Lakers have an offensive rating of 97.2 (ranked 29th), while the Grizzlies rank 17th for their defensive rating of 103.9.
Memphis has an average field goal percentage of 43.2%. Los Angeles is an abysmal 3-20 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Memphis Grizzlies attempt 17.0 three point field goals per game and the Los Angeles Lakers attempt 25.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, both teams have poor records; Los Angeles is 3-14 while Memphis is winless (0-1).
Memphis has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.58 this season (ranked 13th), while Los Angeles ranks lower at 25th with an A/TO of 1.33.
Memphis ranks 27th in rebounds per game with 40.9, while Los Angeles ranks 22nd with 42.5 per game.
Memphis is ranked 28th in defensive rebounds, while Los Angeles ranks 17th in offensive rebounds.
Ranked first, Memphis averages a forced turnover percentage of 17.1% this season. When the Lakers suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this, the team is winless with a 0-4 record.
