On December 30, Beijing time, the Lakers played back-to-back against the Grizzlies, and in the last game they defeated the Rockets, ending an embarrassing 5-game losing streak. And this time against the Grizzlies, they are very different from the Rockets, and pre-game acting coach Fitzdale has also made targeted adjustments, including the starting lineup.
The Lakers started the game as James, Westbrook, Bradley, Munch and Howard, while the Grizzlies started with Kyle Anderson, Jaren Jackson, Adams, Bain and Morant.
It can be seen that the Lakers have changed teams in the past 2 consecutive games, the last game James served as the team's starting center, this time let Howard return to the starting, which is actually a change made by the Lakers for different opponents.
Unlike the Rockets, the Grizzlies do not have big centers, they have two tall interior lines in the team, Adams and Jackson, and need to send an interior line like Howard to compete with Adams, which can effectively protect rebounds. Obviously, the Lakers are not blindly advocating the five small lineups, and will make changes for each opponent.
Today is James's 37th birthday, and he will be the most special on this night, and I believe he will not miss such an opportunity. In recent games, James has performed exceptionally well, scoring 30+ in five consecutive games, the first team in league history to achieve this feat.
In today's game, the Lakers still have 6 players missing the game, Ariza and Rondo triggered the health and safety agreement, Davis and Nunn were absent due to injury, and Bazemore and Reeves will still be absent from the game.