It wasn’t the most energetic of atmospheres Sunday afternoon in STAPLES, not since the Grizzlies weren’t able to mount much of a challenge, or since Cleveland had all but locked up the league’s No. 1 seed, but nonetheless the Lakers fans came out to cheer their squad to its 64th victory.
That Andrew Bynum made it through 25 minutes without getting hurt against the Grizzlies didn’t, uh, hurt either. The young center, who tore his MCL last time he faced the Grizz, scored 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 6-of-6 from the line and grabbed five boards to finish with a game high +/- of 17.
Along with some dead-eye shooting from Kobe Bryant (7-of-9), L.A. had the benefit of a solid bench game highlighted by Luke Walton’s solid floor game of eight points on 3-of-3 shooting, six boards, four assists and and a steal.
The victory completed a 4-0 season sweep of the Grizzlies, setting up an interesting final game of the regular season for L.A. with the Jazz coming to town. Utah (47-33) is currently sitting in the eight spot, meaning they’d face the Lakers in the first round if the season ended today. However, Utah has the Clippers on Monday, while New Orleans (49-31) and Dallas (48-32) could still slip below the Jazz if they’re not able to win out. The Hornets have tough road games at San Antonio and Houston, while Dallas is at home vs. Minnesota and Houston. For more details on that front, CLICK HERE.
Thus, when L.A. sees the Jazz in STAPLES on Tuesday, how will they play? A Utah loss could mean the Lakers would face the Jazz in the first round, while a Jazz win could bring New Orleans or Dallas into town.
We’ll just have to wait and see … Until then, a few numbers:
0
Shots missed by Luke Walton, who went 3-for-3 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line.
2
Shots missed by Kobe Bryant in a highly efficient performance (7-for-9).
3
Lakers players on ice for the fourth quarter: Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol. Jackson was able to limit Fisher to 18 minutes, Gasol 32 and Bryant 29.
13
Game high rebounds for Pau Gasol. As a team, the Lakers out-boarded the Grizz 47-41.
17
Andrew Bynum’s game high +/-.
75
Points conceded to the Grizzlies, who hit just 26-of-71 shots (36.6 percent)
