Grizzlies at Lakers
Going back home was all the Los Angeles Lakers needed to break out of a funk and put together a solid all-around effort in a 112-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers will try to sweep the two-game homestand when they host the slumping Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Los Angeles dropped three of four on the road before coming home and knocking off the Pelicans on Friday behind 22 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds from superstar LeBron James, who also contributed to a defensive effort that held New Orleans to 39 points in the second half. "The defense we played in the second half, that's what I'm talking about," Lakers coach Luke Walton told reporters. "That's the team we have to be." The Grizzlies dropped their last five games and seven of the last eight while failing to reach 100 points in any of those eight contests. "Maybe we're so down on ourselves that we're struggling to finish and struggling to complete the game," Memphis coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters after a 102-99 home loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday. "The only way out of it is to hold ourselves accountable, do what we practice over and over again, and do what's been successful for us and limit the mistakes. I can't explain it any other way."
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FS South (Memphis), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (16-16): Memphis center Marc Gasol is trying to keep his teammates from getting too high or too low based on the results. "When you're 12-5, you continue to work and continue to do the things that you do and continue to get better," Gasol told reporters. "You lose five in a row you do the same thing. You don't overreact, that's how this league works. You'll have good ones and you'll have bad ones." Gasol is in his own slump and is 7-of-25 from the floor over the last two games, including 3-of-11 from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (19-13): Los Angeles got a boost on both ends of the floor Friday from the returns of small forward Brandon Ingram (ankle) and point guard Rajon Rondo (hand). Rondo contributed eight points and nine assists in 22 minutes off the bench after missing the previous 17 games while Ingram added 18 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes after sitting out the last seven contests. "It was really nice having our guys back," Walton told reporters. "Brandon made winning plays all game long. ... I thought he did a really nice job of watching what the team has been doing while he's been hurt and coming in and playing the same way. Rondo gave us a big spark in the first half as well."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lakers C Ivica Zubac recorded his first double-double of the season with season highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds on Friday.
2. Grizzlies SF Omri Casspi (illness) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.
3. Los Angeles got 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds from James in a 111-88 win at Memphis on Dec. 8.