Grizzlies-Lakers Preview: Grizz look to shine in Hollywood

2014/15 NBA Season
	vs
2014/15: 12-2 (4-2 road)		2014/15: 3-11 (2-6 home)
November 15, 2014
FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
9:30 PM CDT
Fox SportSouth / 92.9 FM ESPN / NBA TV
Possible Starters
Mike Conley	PG	Jeremy Lin
Courtney Lee	SG	Kobe Bryant
Tony Allen	SF	Wesley Johnson
Zach Randolph	PF	Carlos Boozer
Marc Gasol	C	Jordan Hill
2014/15 Advanced Stats
93.8 (23rd)	Pace	97.2 (7th)
106.0 (6th)	OEff	103.8 (18th)
97.9 (4th)	DEff	114.4 (30th)
51.0 (T-5th)	RebR	49.0 (T-21st)

Grizzlies vs Lakers coverage

Opponent's Blog: Silver Screen and Roll

Injuries

Lakers: Xavier Henry (Achilles, out for season)

Grizzlies: (none)

Know Your Opponent

The young season has not been kind to the traditional kings of Tinseltown.  After an offseason that saw the Lakers lose Pau Gasol and a host of role players but return Kobe Bean Bryant, the Lakers have started the season 3-11.  Kobe is leading the league in scoring at 26.7 points per game, but he is doing it on 24 shots a game, shooting 38% from the field and 28% from 3.  Check out Kobe just jackin' away:

Beyond Kobe's inefficient scoring though, the Lakers real problem is their defense.  It's been horrific.  Like, the part of the Phantom of the Opera's face behind the mask horrific.  If the season ended right now, they would be more than 5 points per 100 possessions worse than any team in the last 3 seasons.

Points of Grizzly Emphasis

Guard people

This sounds pretty simple, right?   The Grizzlies have had a bad habit of laying off shooters and letting them get hot.  We all remember the Grizzlies letting Jodie Meeks and Nick Young rain 3's last year.  With Meeks gone in free agency and Nick Young returning from injury, the threats are not as great, but they still are there.  The Lakers' best chance to beat the Grizzlies is to get some shooters hot and shoot their way into a competitive game.

Own the backboards

After struggling on the boards early in the season, the Grizzlies have returned to form of late, dominating the boards.  That combined with their turnover stinginess has led to consistently winning the possession game.  The Lakers are not a good rebounding team, but do feature long, good rebounding bigs like Ed Davis and Jordan Hill, and those have presented some issues for the Grizzlies in the past.  Keeping them off the offensive glass and continuing to win the possession game should keep the Lakers at bay.

Why you should watch this game

It's going to be late, but it's Grizzlies-Lakers, and the Grizzlies are playing perhaps the best basketball we've ever seen them play.  Marc in top form, Zach quietly continuing to be a double-double machine, Conley steadily running the show, TA wreaking havoc, role players filling their roles - it's a thing of beauty.  Muddy beauty, perhaps, but beauty nonetheless.  Also, it's nationally televised on NBA TV for non-local fans.   Tune in!