Lakers take on the Grizzlies for second time in three days
Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers (21-11) will take on the Memphis Grizzlies (15-19) for the second time in nearly as many nights.
The Lakers look to beat the Grizzlies TWICE just 4 days into 2026 😂🔥 pic.twitter.com/rSGs3uhSeH
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) January 4, 2026
Friday’s game was the Lakers’ first outing of 2026, and started off on a better note than the end of 2025. To finish off the year in December, the Lakers went 5-7 and lost each game by an average of 19 PPG.
That is not what you would expect to see from a team with championship aspirations.
Nonetheless, the team has the chance to start off 2026 undefeated, so let’s see what they need to do to make that happen.
Another strong game from the ‘Big Two’
In Friday night’s game, we saw the best performance from both Luka Dončić and LeBron James as a duo. We haven’t gotten to see much of just them, but with Reaves’ injury, we get to see them work.
Luka finished with 34 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, while LeBron finished with 31 points, six assists, and nine rebounds.
The two of them haven’t gotten many opportunities to this point to mesh without also sharing the court with Reaves, so these games are essential, especially against a team in Memphis that’s clearly inferior.
Look for the two Lakers stars to keep the ball rolling tonight.
The others need to step up again
Yes, LeBron and Luka both scored 30+ points, which helps a lot, but you don’t win games scoring 60-70 points. The Lakers’ role players were essential in Friday’s victory.
LaRavia had 21, which included 18 first-half points. One of his best showings of the season. Jaxson Hayes and Marcus Smart both pitched in 10+, adding 12 and 13, respectively.
If the Lakers want to notch another win in 2026, they’ll need a group effort once again.
Lakers and Grizzlies Injuries
The Lakers are missing a few of their best players tonight. The team will yet again be without Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
Luckily for Los Angeles, Memphis is also incredibly banged up.
Memphis is seemingly missing half its team, so the Lakers should certainly be able to capitalize on that. The two teams face off at 6:30 PM PST tonight.
