A loose basketball flew from the rim, heading to the corner and out of bounds. Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis were suddenly in a race to track the ball down before it reached the courtside spectators.
The ball went off of Davis, who fell to the floor, grimacing in pain while holding his left shoulder.
After 16 more seconds of game action, Davis checked out of the game, with the Lakers leading by 20 points with 5:30 left in the third quarter. That lead dropped to nine by the end of the quarter after Memphis outscored the Lakers 16-5 while Davis was sidelined.
Davis checked back into the game early in the fourth quarter, and it felt like all the momentum Memphis had built started fading. Davis finished with 40 points and 16 rebounds as the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies 116-110.
Sunday’s game at Crypto.com Arena was a reminders of some tough truths, ones the Grizzlies have worked to change but have yet to yield winning results.
LeBron James, who finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, is not the Lakers player who causes the Grizzlies the most problems. It’s Davis — and it has been since the Lakers put the Grizzlies out the NBA playoffs in 2023.
A lot of what the Grizzlies did Sunday with its lineups, rotations and personnel revolved around Davis. The troubling truth is that no matter what button Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins pressed, none slowed down Davis.
Here is why Davis and the Lakers have become a confounding opponent for the Grizzlies.
Anthony Davis stars on both ends
The Grizzlies are 1-2 against the Lakers this season — their win on Nov. 6 came when Davis didn’t play. He mostly struggled in the first Lakers win against Memphis, on Nov. 13, before coming alive in the fourth quarter.
His ability to be a dominant presence on both ends of the floor creates problems. Offensively, he is a tough guard when his midrange jumper is falling, in addition to his ability to score in the paint. On Sunday, Davis shot 15-for-22.
Even though Memphis still finished with 56 paint points, the presence of Davis caused hesitancy. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane combined to shoot 7-for-20 on shots inside the 3-point line. Part of that was due to Davis and his ability to make guards shoot at tough angles and alter their shots.
Crafty foul creation
One of the most frustrating things about playing the Lakers is their ability to draw fouls. Whether you believe the calls are warranted or not, the Lakers get them. They’ve been in the top five of free throws attempted per game in each of the past three seasons, and Davis is a big part of that.
Davis is second in the NBA in free-throw attempts. Against Memphis, he attempted 12 and ultimately played a role in Jackson fouling out with more than four minutes left in the game. In two games against Memphis this season, Davis has attempted 20 free throws.
How to solve the problem
The biggest problem solver is developing. He’s a rookie learning on the fly.
For the second time against the Lakers this season, Zach Edey has been a difference maker. He was plus-12 in 24 minutes on Sunday. In the first meeting in Los Angeles, Edey was also plus-12.
What makes him so effective is not only the physicality the 7-foot-4 center brings, but he shifts the matchup dynamic more so than any other big on the Grizzlies roster. When Memphis is on offense, Davis, who is 6-10 and 253 pounds, is forced to battle with Edey and attempt to keep the 290-pounder off the glass. That frees up Jackson for favorable matchups against James or Rui Hachimura.
The same goes for defense. Having Edey guard Davis allows Jackson to roam more and avoid foul trouble.
It’s an imperfect answer, considering the Lakers have attacked Edey down the stretch defensively in both of the aforementioned games, but experience will even out those battles.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Memphis Grizzlies have struggled against Anthony Davis, Lakers
