Lakers lose 99-93 to Grizzlies, fall to 3-12

The Lakers fell to 3-12 on the season when they couldn’t complete the Western Conference upset over the first place Memphis Grizzlies, who improved to 13-2 with a 99-93 win.

The contest was a close one up until the last few minutes of the 4th quarter, where Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies pulled away. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers once again with 22 points, but once again shot the ball poorly (5-15 from the field), though he went 10-10 from the free throw line. Field goal percentage certainly isn't everything, but now Kobe is down to an ugly 37.9% on the young season.

Ronnie Price, of all people, provided quite a spark off the bench that kept the Lakers in the game for the most part. Price had 11 points on 5-8 shooting while contributing 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and did not commit a turnover. Multiple times, Price surprised everyone by slicing through defenders and converting at the rim.

For Memphis, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph combined for 35 points and 20 rebounds, while Mike Conley had 19 points and 7 assists. The Grizzlies next play at Portland on Friday night to take on the Trail Blazers. Ed Davis put up a valiant effort when he was in, but the Grizzlies talented frontcourt was a bit too much for L.A.

The Lakers get the day off tomorrow for Thanksgiving, and then will return to Staples to take on Andrew Wiggins and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at 7:30 PM PT. This will be a game that the Lakers have a good shot at winning, since the Timberwolves are a combination of young, bad, and injured.

This season continues to be a struggle for the Lakers, and it's only going to get longer and tougher. I'm planning on beginning a weekly piece on the site for analyzing a new prospect each week and how they could potentially fit with the Lakers. There likely will be a good choice available for the Lakers, provided they earn a top 5 pick at the lottery. Finishing behind only the 76ers with the second worst record would guarantee the Lakers keep their Phoenix pick this year.

Everyone at SS&R hopes that our readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Eat some delicious food for us. Digest well. We'll see you on Friday for Lakers/Wolves.