On Saturday night, the Memphis Grizzlies will host the Los Angeles Lakers in what may be their most important game for the remainder of the regular season. The Grizzlies and Lakers are both 44-29, and they each own the No. 5 and No. 4 seed, respectively. If the Grizzlies walk away with a victory on Saturday, they will be in a much better spot to secure homecourt advantage for the playoffs.
This game marks the fourth and final time the Grizzlies will take on the Lakers. Memphis is 1-2 against the Lakers so far this season, so they will look to tie the season series.
Ahead of their battle against Los Angeles, the Grizzlies made a notable announcement regarding rookie guard Yuki Kawamura that could have an impact on the result of the game.
In his rookie season, Kawamura has only appeared in 20 total games and has not played an NBA game since before the All-Star break. However, the Grizzlies have announced that the Japanese native has been called up and will be active against the Lakers.
"GG Jackson II has been recalled from the Memphis Hustle, and Yuki Kawamura has been transferred to the Grizzlies. Both will be available for the Grizzlies tonight against the Lakers," the official Grizzlies PR account said on X.
Status Update:
GG Jackson II has been recalled from the Memphis Hustle, and Yuki Kawamura has been transferred to the Grizzlies. Both will be available for the Grizzlies tonight against the Lakers. https://t.co/9gAShZcIsq
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) March 29, 2025
In his 20 games played for the Grizzlies this season, Kawamura is averaging just 1.2 points in 3.2 minutes, and he has not logged double-digit minutes in a single game since December. Regardless, he is a player worth monitoring on Saturday as the Grizzlies will look for any boost they can get against the Lakers.
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This story was originally published March 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM.