Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick, right, talks with forward Anthony Davis, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Lakers star center Anthony Davis believes that Los Angeles will need to rely on its toughness when it hosts the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA on Sunday night.
The Lakers failed to do that on Friday, when they fell 97-87 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Davis finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, but he also had four of Los Angeles’ season-high 22 turnovers.
After watching his team fail to ever take a lead against Minnesota, Davis is trying to make sure that the Lakers bring a higher level of intensity into their meeting with Memphis.
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“Being physical,” Davis said when asked how Los Angeles was going to compete with the Grizzlies. “We’re playing a physical team, and they’ll try to create turnovers with their physicality and disruption on the ball, passing lanes, things like that.”
Davis is also hoping for a much cleaner performance than the one that the Lakers turned in on Friday.
“Once we take care of the basketball and get some ball movement and body movement, we’ll be able to score,” Davis said. “But we can’t have 22 turnovers like we did (against the Timberwolves).”
Superstar LeBron James is in danger of missing his third straight game for Los Angeles as he continues to work through a left foot injury. James, 39, is averaging 23.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game this season and is listed as questionable for Sunday.
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LeBron has averaged 37.0 points, 9.5 boards and 10.0 assists in two games against Memphis this season. The Grizzlies and Lakers have split those meetings, with Los Angeles winning the most recent contest 128-123 back on Nov. 13.
Since then, Memphis has been on fire, going 11-3 over its past 14 games.
“We are making progress and developing right now, and I’m definitely excited where this group has trended the past couple weeks,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said earlier this week. “Are we going to maintain our pace? We’ve been committed to relying on our depth.
“Defensively, we’ve had progress in our pick-and-roll coverages and our one-on-one defense has improved. But it’s all about consistency. That’s the thing we’ve talked with the team about over this stretch.”
Memphis’ terrific run includes an active four-game winning streak that features a 127-121 road win over the defending champion Boston Celtics. The Grizzlies are coming off a 135-119 victory over the Nets on Friday.
Ja Morant led the way against Brooklyn with 28 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, while Desmond Bane finished with 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama each went for 20.
“We’ve got to be proud of (the recent improvements),” Aldama said ahead of a four-day break that preceded the win over the Nets. “Use this time off and then get back to work. … Use these practice days to our advantage, and kind of crack down on things we need to get better at.”
Big men Zach Edey (ankle) and Jay Huff (knee) are questionable for Memphis on Sunday, as is guard Marcus Smart (knee). –Field Level Media