Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 1/5/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Friday, January 5, 2024

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

Odds/Point Spread: Memphis (+6)

The Los Angeles Lakers (17-18) welcome the Memphis Grizzlies (11-23) at Crypto.com Arena on Friday. Memphis opens this game as 6-point underdogs. The total is 228.5.

The Grizzlies faced off with the Raptors and took a loss by a score of 116-111 in their last contest. Memphis walked away from the game with a 42.6% FG percentage (40 of 94) and knocked down 15 out of their 42 3-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Grizzlies converted 16 of 19 shots for a percentage of 84.2%. When talking about pulling down boards, they earned 43 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 25 assists in this game as well as forcing 12 turnovers and having 7 steals. In regard to defending, Memphis allowed the other team to go 48.2% from the floor on 41 of 85 shooting. Toronto recorded 25 dimes and had 5 steals for the game. Additionally, Toronto collected 46 rebounds (7 offensive, 39 defensive) and earned 5 blocks. Toronto ended up shooting 81.5% from the free throw line by burying 22 of their 27 tries. They converted 12 out of their 26 attempts from beyond the arc. When it comes to fouls, the Grizzlies left the arena with 19 and the Raptors recorded 20 fouls.

Ja Morant is a guy who was a major contributor for this game. He accumulated 28 points on 10 out of 18 shooting. He played 35 mins and totaled 8 rebounds. Morant finished the contest at 55.6% from the floor and distributed 9 dimes.

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Memphis heads into this game with a mark of 11-23 so far this year. They have an average of 106.9 points per game (30th in the NBA) while going 43.7% from the field. The Grizzlies are hitting 33.3% from downtown (439 of 1,320) and 77.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Memphis is snagging 42.0 rebounds per contest and has racked up 817 assists so far this year, which is 26th in the league in terms of passing. They turn it over 14.5 times per game and as a team are committing 20.6 fouls every game.

On defense, the Grizzlies are able to force 15.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.8 personal fouls. They give up 38.8% on 3-pointers and they are 13th in the league in points per game allowed (113.4). The Grizzlies defensively are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 46.2% (1,371 of 2,965) and they relinquish 46.1 boards per game as a squad. They are ranked 12th in the league in giving up assists with 878 surrendered this year.

When they last played, the Lakers took a loss by a final score of 110-96 when they played the Heat. Regarding rebounding, Los Angeles allowed Miami to pull down 39 overall (7 on the offensive side). They finished 38.1% from distance by shooting 16 out of 42 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 17 from the free throw line (70.6%). The Lakers allowed the Heat to make 41 of 93 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 44.1% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Lakers ended up shooting 35 for 83 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.2%. Pertaining to shots from beyond the perimeter, Los Angeles buried 4 of 30 attempts (13.3%). They were able to make 22 of them for a percentage of 91.7%. The Heat committed 23 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 24 tries. They also coughed it up 21 times, while earning 3 steals for the game. The Lakers collected 41 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 50 in the matchup.

Anthony Davis ended up being a factor for the Lakers in the game. Davis recorded 29 points in his 43 mins on the hardwood and had 6 dimes for this game. He knocked down 10 of 17 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 58.8%, and earned 17 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a record of 17-18 on the campaign. The Lakers are committing 16.9 fouls per game and they go 77.5% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 27.4 times per game (9th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.1 times per game. Los Angeles has 3,980 pts so far this year (113.7 per game) and they pull in 43.7 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Lakers are hitting on 48.3% from the field, which has them ranked 8th in the NBA.

The Lakers defensively are ranked 16th in the league in points per game surrendered with 114.6. They are forcing 13.7 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 46.5% from the floor (12th in the NBA). The Los Angeles defense surrenders 37.7% on shots from distance (494 of 1,311) and opponents are connecting on 77.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 27.1 dimes and 44.5 total boards per game, ranking them 21st and 21st in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Memphis (+6)

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