The Lakes (20-11) will ring in the New Year with two straight matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies (15-18) this weekend. These will be the last two games between the teams this season as L.A. leads the series
2-0.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies
When: 7:30 p.m. PT, Jan. 2
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet
The Lakers didn’t close 2025 in the best way after getting run off the floor by the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. If anything, they continue to show that they have a difficult time beating good teams and that their margin for error is thinner than ice on a summer day. It’s clear by now that they have a handful of flaws that need to be addressed if they want to achieve their ultimate goal of winning a championship.
With no moves or changes on the horizon, the team has to stick together and recover from their subpar December, when they lost seven of their 12 games. January presents an easier schedule for the purple and gold and one that they should take full advantage of, starting with their back-to-back games against the Grizzlies.
The visiting Grizzlies come to Los Angeles as the same mediocre team that the Lakers last saw in the first two months of the season. They’re currently on a two-game losing streak and have not really found the offensive spark that they’ve needed all season. A huge part of that is because their injury list has been piling up. Their defense is what mostly keeps them afloat, but otherwise, they are beatable.
But given how the Lakers have been playing as of late, it’s them that should be considered beatable as well. They’re missing Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, who both won’t be suiting up on Friday. They’ve needed both Luka Dončić and LeBron James to pick up the slack and when one doesn’t have a good game, there’s a good chance they lose, especially against teams that are fully capable of exposing them.
On Friday, it would be nice to see the whole team play together and put on a strong performance. One that sends a message that they’re sick of losing and want to start the year on a winning note. This should be doable for them against the Grizzlies and it’s something they significantly want to do if they want to get back on track.
Let’s see if the Lakers can start 2026 strong with back-to-back wins against the Grizzlies.
Notes and Updates
- The Lakers’ injury report notes that Jarred Vanderbilt (right leg soreness) is questionable.
- Meanwhile, Hachimura (right calf soreness), Reaves (left calf strain), Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) and Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) are out.
- As for the Grizzlies, their long injury report starts with Zach Edey (left ankle stress reaction), Brandon Clarke (right calf strain), Ty Jerome (right calf strain), John Konchar (left thumb injury), Scotty Pippen Jr., (left toe) and Vince Williams (left patellar tendinitis) being listed as out.
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (right hamstring soreness) is questionable.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
