Although it is usually a highlight of Lakers-Grizzlies meetings, the Gasol Brothers will not face off tonight when Pau's Lakers host Marc's Grizzlies. Pau will miss tonight's game as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, although by all accounts it seems to be completely healed. As with Allen Iverson's situation, though, with a hamstring you can never be too careful. Last season, Pau held a slight edge over his younger brother, averaging 16 ppg in the teams' four matchups, all Laker wins, while Marc averaged 13 ppg. However, Marc outscored Pau in each of the last two meetings, 17-13 and 14-12, respectively.
The Lakers may be somewhat fatigued as they enter tonight's game coming off consecutive overtime games against Oklahoma City and Houston. I wouldn't count on it, but if the Grizzlies can get off to another quick start and punish the Lakers physically with Zach Randolph and Marc, they could hang around. They just have to be consistent and efficient on offense. They absolutely must limit their turnovers because they are going to need all the extra possessions they can get.
So far the Grizzlies' offense has been balanced, with several players averaging at least 20 ppg. That is a good sign because they will need contributions from many different sources tonight. If the bench wanted to choose a night to explode, tonight wouldn't be a bad choice.
The Grizzlies may not get the calls they managed to get against the Kings, but they have to shoot better from the line when they do get there. You can't find easier points than that.
Rudy Gay may have the toughest matchup in the game as he will battle Ron Artest. Hopefully, Rudy can get some cheap fouls on Ron-Ron to take him out of the game mentally, if not physically.
Kobe is going to get his 30, but hopefully not much more than that. The Grizzlies just have to limit the amount of support he gets from his teammates.
Keywords: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph
