Memphis Grizzlies vs Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Talking points as Memphis stun LeBron James and Co. 

The Memphis Grizzlies emerged with a victory in their Western Conference road game against the Los Angeles Lakers 107-99 in a very close encounter. It was a close call and any one of the teams could have gotten a victory.

With the victory over the Lakers, the Grizzlies are now 10th in the Western Conference with a record of 17-16, while the Lakers are at 4th with a record of 19-14.

LeBron James failed to come up with big numbers for the Los Angeles Lakers in what was a very tight defensive performance from the Grizzlies as they choked the pacey Lakers and clogged them.

The Grizzlies badly needed this victory as they were on a 5-game losing streak and hopefully for them this is a sign of good and positive things to come. The Lakers also needed this victory but that couldn’t happen in this game.

With all that said, let’s look at the top 3 takeaways:

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#3 Jaren Jackson Jr. a positive ray of hope

Kyle Kuzma and Jackson Jr.

The Grizzlies have been struggling a lot recently. And things don’t seem to be going right for them. Amidst all this, they seem to have found their next generation star, around whom they could build their entire team and that is Jaren Jackson Jr.

He has been playing really well and has been a top 5 rookie this season. Jackson doesn’t just bring offense but he is also very athletic and already an elite defender. He can shoot from the 3-point line as well and finishes with authority inside the paint.

So, overall, there aren’t many glaring weaknesses inside his game. He just needs to keep nurturing and polishing himself to become the star the Grizzlies hope he is.

Jackson has been averaging 13.2 ppg, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 35% shooting from the 3-point line.

#2 The disparity in 3-point shooting

Lakers were miserable from beyond the arc

We have been hearing this from the start of the season, and even now that the Lakers are a bad shooting team. They haven’t got enough good shooters. They like to score from inside. Today, all this was on supreme display.

Especially, the way the Lakers defended the Grizzlies from the line. They lacked enough defensive effort and most of the times left the Grizzlies open. On the other hand, the Grizzlies did a great job of capitalizing on the Lakers' mistakes and made them pay.

They shot a whopping 54% from beyond the arc, shooting 14-26. Everyone came up for them and contributed in what was a much-needed victory. This sets them up for a positive momentum going into the holidays.

They have been shooting well throughout the season from downtown and today was just a little demonstration of what they can do if given easy looks.

#1 Turnover problem for the Lakers

LeBron James

The Lakers like to play fast, they like to move the ball, they like to make those fast breaks and those easy transition plays. I get it. But, is it worth it if it comes at the cost of so many turnovers and them resulting in taking 15 shots less than their opposing team?

The Lakers took 75 total shots today, while the Grizzlies took 90. Even when they shot at a better percentage than the Grizzlies they still couldn’t make up for all those fewer shots taken. And the biggest reason for that was their turnovers. It kills their momentum everytime they try to create it.

Every silly mistake the Lakers make costs them. Even though it’s good to see a bit of flashiness, but it’s can’t be full-fledged showtime without proper passing and ball movement, instead of silly turnovers.

In their next game, the Lakers will face the defending champs Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena while the Grizzlies will host the Cavaliers in a cross-conference match.