After picking up a win in Friday’s meeting, the Lakers (21-11) will host the Grizzlies (15-19) again on Sunday.
The Lakers have already clinched the season series by winning the two previous meetings and can sweep Memphis with one more victory.
Start time and TV schedule
When: 6:30 p.m. PT, Jan. 4
Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet
While there are still plenty of question marks about the Lakers in the long term, in the short term, they can look for their first winning streak in over two weeks.
After beating the Grizzlies on Friday, the Lakers can complete the clean sweep of the series on Sunday in their third and final meeting. LA has beaten Memphis without its Big Three in each game and nothing will change on that front.
Austin Reaves is certainly not close to a return, but the two-headed monster of LeBron James and Luka Dončić was enough on Friday. It was LeBron, specifically, who closed out the close game with a flurry of baskets and assists in the final minutes.
As a result, the Lakers are a perfect 11-0 in clutch games this season. Their +33.5 net rating in clutch situations is best in the league, as is the 89.8 defensive rating they hold in those 26 minutes this season.
Ultimately, it’s a small sample size, but still an encouraging one. If the Lakers are in close games, they have experience and success to turn to.
Without Zach Edey and with this version of Ja Morant, the Grizzlies are not a team designed to take down the Lakers. That being said, they’re still a team that clearly can give the Lakers enough problems to steal a win.
Sunday will offer another chance for the Lakers to take a step forward, build chemistry without Reaves and build that winning streak and positive momentum.