MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - APRIL 19: Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball during the first half against LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Two of the Western Confe …
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (KTTV) - Despite having the team fully healthy and coming off an impressive win in the series opener, the Los Angles Lakers fell flat to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2.
On Wednesday, the Lakers got mauled by the Grizzlies 103-93. The loss comes despite the fact that Memphis was without their All-Star guard Ja Morant, who was out of Wednesday's action with a hand injury.
The series heads to Los Angeles as the Lakers will be home Game 3 on Saturday, at 7 p.m. and Game 4 on Monday, also at 7 p.m.
As of Wednesday night, the Grizzlies have not made formal announcements on the odds Morant will return to action.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The road to the playoffs hadn't been easy for the Purple and Gold. The team started the regular season at a 2-10 record and shipped out former NBA MVP Russell Westbook in a trade with the Utah Jazz.
Prior to the deadline, all eyes were on LeBron James earlier in the 2023 calendar year as he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record. As if there weren't enough distractions, both James and 8-time All-Star Anthony Davis missed time during parts of the regular season to recover from their respective injuries.
Yet, in spite of all the distractions and trips to the trainer's room, the Lakers somehow found themselves a spot in the Western Conference side of the playoff bracket after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime in the Play-In tournament.
SERIES SCHEDULE
- Game 1: Lakers 128, Grizzlies 112
- Game 2: Grizzlies 103, Lakers 93
- Game 3: Saturday, April 22, Grizzlies at Lakers 7 p.m. PT
- Game 4: Monday, April 24, Grizzlies at Lakers, 7 p.m. PT
- Game 5: Wednesday, April 26, Lakers at Grizzlies
- Game 6: Friday, April 28, Grizzlies at Lakers*
- Game 7: Sunday, April 30, Lakers at Grizzlies*
*=if necessary