Lakers at Grizzlies
The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race and superstar LeBron James is sensing a lack of preparedness on the part of his team. James will try to lead the Lakers back into the win column when they wrap up a two-game road trip at the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
James had 27 points, 12 assists and a season-high four steals but Los Angeles could never recover from a sluggish start in Saturday's 128-115 loss at New Orleans, which was playing without All-Star forward Anthony Davis. "It's how you approach the game every day, how you think the game every day," James told reporters of the need for urgency. "It's how you play the game, prepare for the game. It's not even like when you get to the arena. It's like way before that. It's the most important thing in your life at this time." The loss left the Lakers 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot in the West entering Sunday. The Grizzlies have long been out of the race and dropped their fourth in a row Saturday with a 112-107 setback at Cleveland.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), FS Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE LAKERS (29-30): Brandon Ingram scored 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the loss to the Pelicans but he and James combined for nine of the team's 23 turnovers and went a collective 8-for-15 at the foul line. "The theme is similar to what we talk about all of the time: it's turnovers, it's making free throws, and it's being the aggressor on defense," coach Luke Walton told reporters of his team's issues Saturday night. "When we struggle, those are kind of a common theme throughout." Los Angeles did post its third-highest field-goal percentage (54.3) of the season with center JaVale McGee making all four of his attempts in 16 minutes.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (23-38): Center Jonas Valanciunas had perhaps his best game since being acquired in the trade with Toronto that sent Marc Gasol to the Raptors with 25 points and 11 rebounds at Cleveland, but the 26-year-old is also learning a bit more about the challenges in Memphis. "Losing stinks," Valanciunas told reporters. "We're trying to learn how to win games. Stats are stats. We don't look at the stats. We look at the results." The Grizzlies were playing their second straight game without standout rookie forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (quadriceps).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lakers PG Lonzo Ball (ankle) has missed 12 straight games.
2. Grizzlies SF Chandler Parsons is 2-for-14 from the floor in two games since returning from a lengthy absence due to a knee injury and a separation from the team while it attempted to trade him.
3. The road team won the first two meetings, with Los Angeles picking up a 111-88 win at Memphis on Dec. 8.