Thursday saw four games take center stage, and that total will double on Friday night as the NBA makes Lakers-Grizzlies one of its marquee matchups.
The Halloween outing (9:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video) also marks the first day of the Emirates NBA Cup. With Los Angeles already having won a Cup title, they’ll look to carry that experience into a battle between two 2024 Western Conference playoff teams.
Below, we’ll break down a Lakers vs. Grizzlies prediction and picks to consider for Friday night’s game. Use PrizePicks NBA to make player picks and win money if you’re right.
Lakers vs. Grizzlies Prediction, Stats for Friday, 10/31
With 110 regular-season contests and six playoff outings between them, L.A. and Memphis are familiar with one another. Both sides are still attempting to build contenders on the fly.
In head coach JJ Redick’s first season at the helm, the Lakers won 50 games in 2024 — their first time doing so since 2019. The franchise even swung a blockbuster trade for G Luka Doncic, although it resulted in a first-round playoff exit anyway.
As superstar F LeBron James awaits his season debut and with Doncic listed as questionable for Friday, the Lakers are playing the long game.
Finishing just two games below Los Angeles in the standings, the Grizzlies’ 48-34 record had them settle as the No. 8 seed in the West last year. After a late-season firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins, Tuomas Iisalo led the organization to an early exit but is back.
A bevy of injuries has limited Memphis out of the gate. They, too, could improve over the course of the season.
Los Angeles Lakers Preview vs. Grizzlies
- The Lakers are 3-2 on the year, having secured all three victories in their last four games.
- L.A. has little trouble generating quality looks in close range. They rank third in effective field goal percentage (58.4) and points in the paint per game.
- Early in the year, the Lakers have been careless with the rock. Their 18.3% turnover rate trails only Los Angeles’ other team, the Clippers, for highest in the NBA.
- Shooting efficiency from distance is a red flag — Redick’s group is eighth-worst from 20-24 feet and 11th-worst from 25-29 feet. Both are 33.3% marks.
Memphis Grizzlies Preview vs. Lakers
- Memphis has alternated wins and losses through five games. They defeated the Pelicans, Pacers, and Suns but lost to the Heat and Warriors.
- With PG Ja Morant leading the way, the Grizzlies play at the third-fastest pace (106.80) in the league.
- Building on that run-and-gun style, Iisalo’s crew keeps the ball moving (eighth in assists per game) and scores more fastbreak points than all but four teams.
- The Grizzlies finish games strong, averaging the second-most fourth-quarter points (32).
Lakers vs. Grizzlies Picks for PrizePicks Today
Here are three top Lakers vs. Grizzlies picks to target on Friday. Key PrizePicks player projections are headlined by C Deandre Ayton, PG Ja Morant and G/F Cedric Coward.
Lakers C Deandre Ayton vs. Grizzlies Projection: 26.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
- In his first year in L.A., Ayton is off to a solid start by averaging 16.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
- Ayton has made at least 8 field goals in each of his last three games, averaging 18.3/11.0/2.3 in that span.
- Grizzlies opponents secure the fifth-highest clip of defensive rebounds at 79.1%.
- Memphis is still missing C Zach Edey, who continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery. Edey’s absence leaves a bit of a void in the Grizzlies’ frontcourt.
- If Doncic is unable to suit up for the Lakers, it could spell more involvement for Ayton again.
Grizzlies PG Ja Morant vs. Lakers Projection: 32.5 Pts+Asts
- After a pair of sub-20-point outings against the Heat and Pacers, Morant poured in 23 and 28 against the Warriors and Suns, respectively. He averages exactly 30 combined points and assists on the year.
- Per FantasyPros, only the Magic and Wizards have allowed more fantasy points to PGs than the Lakers.
- Simply put, Los Angeles’ defense isn’t anything special. It also ranks 18th in opponent assists per game (26.8) and 20th in opposing assist to field goal ratio (0.632).
- Morant has made just 19.2% of his 3-point attempts, signaling that he might be a positive regression candidate at some point.
Grizzlies G/F Cedric Coward Projection: 11.5 Points
- Since opening the season with back-to-back 22-minute games, Coward’s workload has jumped to 24, 25 and 28 minutes in his last three.
- The No. 11 overall pick averages 16 points per game and has just one contest with fewer than 10.
- Players are shooting a scorching 39.7% from deep against Los Angeles, the league’s fourth-highest rate.
- Of all rookies with 100+ minutes played, per NBA, Coward has taken the eighth-highest share of his team’s shots (18.1%).
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