The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a five-game losing streak on Tuesday night but had to do so against the worst team in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets. It took 132 points for the Lakers to beat the Rockets by nine and while a win is a win, it is still hard to feel overly great about the team.
The purple and gold now must embark on the second leg of a road back-to-back as they are in Memphis to take on Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers and Grizzlies have split their two games against each other this season with the Lakers beating Memphis with Morant and losing to Memphis without Morant.
Road back-to-backs are not favorable to teams, especially ones as old as the Lakers. That is reflected in the Vegas odds for this game.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Grizzlies odds, spread, over/under:
The Memphis Grizzlies are six-point favorites over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. This makes the Grizzlies a -230 moneyline favorite while the Lakers are a +190 moneyline underdog. The over/under for the game has been set at 227 points.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Grizzlies prediction:
The Los Angeles Lakers may have gotten the victory on Tuesday night but I still do not love what I see out of them. The team is not going to get a vintage LeBron James performance every single night, especially on a back-to-back in which the team had to travel.
Carmelo Anthony and Malik Monk also had huge scoring nights against the Rockets that are not consistent and might not happen again against the Grizzlies. Defense is not going to beat teams and the Lakers are too inconsistent on defense.
I am going with Grizzlies -x and under 227 points with a final score prediction of Grizzlies 118, Lakers 105.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Grizzlies TV channel:
This is not a nationally televised game so fans in the local market can watch it on Spectrum SportsNet as well as NBA TV. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
Los Angeles Lakers schedule and upcoming games:
The Los Angeles Lakers return home following this road back-to-back and will be back in action on New Year’s Eve against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers then have New Year’s Day off before taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 2.
The Lake Show has three more games as part of a lengthy homestand that keeps them in LA through January 9.