The Los Angeles Lakers (29-32) will play the Memphis Grizzlies (36-23) in Memphis, Tennessee on Tuesday. The game will begin in the FedExForum at 7:30 PM EST.
Latest update injury for Lakers vs. Grizzlies game
The Lakers won the first meeting between these two teams in the regular season, 122-121.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 111-108, in their previous game. In the second half, they played exceptionally well defensively, which is crucial if they want to challenge the Grizzlies on the road.
- LeBron James will not be playing for the Lakers as they take on the Grizzlies.
Without LeBron James, the surging Los Angeles Lakers will face one of the Western Conference’s best teams, the Memphis Grizzlies.
With a back-to-back set to start on Wednesday when the Lakers travel to face the Thunder, James has hinted that he may sit out at least one of the games despite the significance of both.
“It’s been better,” he reported of his injury after the Dallas game. “But I definitely wasn’t going to go to the locker room and not finish the game out (Sunday). Just understood the importance of the game … We’ll monitor it the next couple days, see how it feels and go from there.”
According to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet, James will not play Tuesday against Memphis because of right foot soreness.
James hurt his right foot against the Mavericks on Sunday, and the Lakers expect him to be out for quite some time.
James has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies, and the team’s medical staff will likely keep assessing the star forward over the next few days to figure out how long he will be out. The team, according to Charania, is expecting James to be sidelined for several weeks while he gets evaluated by specialists.
In James’ absence, Rui Hachimura, Lonnie Walker, and Troy Brown could see more playing time against the Grizzlies, while James’ next opportunity to play will be Wednesday against Oklahoma City.
- Will D’Angelo Russell and AD playing today?
It was also reported by the Lakers that starting point guard D’Angelo Russell is questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies due to the right ankle sprain that kept him out of the game against Dallas.
Russell will likely miss a second straight contest after suffering a right ankle sprain during the first game back following the All-Star break. Dennis Schroder figures to remain in the starting lineup if Russell is indeed ruled out.
Meanwhile, Anthony Davis (foot) might play in this game. Davis has been dealing with a stress injury in his right foot, but he has been able to play through it.
In his last nine games, he has averaged 22.6 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 33.2 minutes per game. In eight of those nine games, he had a double-double. He should be able to play again on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies, like the Lakers, have just come off their best game of the season. On Saturday night, in what was being billed as a possible Western Conference finals preview, they dominated the Denver Nuggets, the best team in the West, by outscoring them 38-22 in the second quarter on their way to a 112-94 victory.
They played exceptionally well on both ends of the court, which is important because they’ll need to maintain that level of efficiency if they want to win this game and take care of business at home.
Ja Morant recorded 23 points (9-18 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 4-5 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 24 minutes of action.
Morant was spectacular in all areas and finished three rebounds short of a double-double in just 24 minutes of action as the Grizzlies rolled to an 18-point victory.
In eight February appearances, the All-Star point guard has averaged 25.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists.
Against a Lakers team missing their best player, I’m hoping he keeps improving.
Injury report Grizzlies:
- Steven Adams (Knee) – Out
Injury report Lakers:
- LeBron James (Foot) – Out
- Anthony Davis (Foot) – Questionable
- D’Angelo Russell (Ankle) – Questionable
