The Lakes (20-11) will ring in the New Year with two straight matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies (15-18) this weekend. These will be the last two games between the teams this season as L.A. leads the series 2-0.<\/p>\n
Start time and TV schedule<\/p>\n
Who:\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>\u00a0vs. Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n When:\u00a07:30 p.m. PT, Jan. 2<\/p>\n Where: Crypto.com Arena<\/p>\n Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet<\/p>\n The Lakers didn\u2019t close 2025 in the best way after getting run off the floor<\/a> by the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. If anything, they continue to show that they have a difficult time beating good teams<\/a> and that their margin for error is thinner than ice on a summer day. It\u2019s clear by now that they have a handful of flaws that need to be addressed if they want to achieve their ultimate goal of winning a championship.<\/p>\n With no moves or changes on the horizon, the team has to stick together and recover from their subpar December, when they lost seven of their 12 games. January presents an easier schedule for the purple and gold and one that they should take full advantage of, starting with their back-to-back games against the Grizzlies.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The visiting Grizzlies come to Los Angeles as the same mediocre team that the Lakers last saw in the first two months of the season. They\u2019re currently on a two-game losing streak and have not really found the offensive spark that they\u2019ve needed all season. A huge part of that is because their injury list has been piling up. Their defense is what mostly keeps them afloat, but otherwise, they are beatable.<\/p>\n But given how the Lakers have been playing as of late, it\u2019s them that should be considered beatable as well. They\u2019re missing Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, who both won\u2019t be suiting up on Friday. They\u2019ve needed both Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and LeBron James to pick up the slack and when one doesn\u2019t have a good game, there\u2019s a good chance they lose, especially against teams that are fully capable of exposing them.<\/p>\n On Friday, it would be nice to see the whole team play together and put on a strong performance. One that sends a message that they\u2019re sick of losing and want to start the year on a winning note. This should be doable for them against the Grizzlies and it\u2019s something they significantly want to do if they want to get back on track.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see if the Lakers can start 2026 strong with back-to-back wins against the Grizzlies.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Notes and Updates<\/p>\n The Lakers\u2019 injury report notes that Jarred Vanderbilt (right leg soreness) is questionable.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hachimura (right calf soreness), Reaves (left calf strain), Adou Thiero (right MCL sprain) and Gabe Vincent (lumbar back strain) are out.<\/p>\n As for the Grizzlies, their long injury report starts with Zach Edey (left ankle stress reaction), Brandon Clarke (right calf strain), Ty Jerome (right calf strain), John Konchar (left thumb injury), Scotty Pippen Jr., (left toe) and Vince Williams (left patellar tendinitis) being listed as out.<\/p>\n Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (right hamstring soreness) is questionable.<\/p>\n You can follow Nicole on Twitter at\u00a0@nicoleganglani<\/a>.<\/p>\n