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The Los Angeles Lakers blew a golden opportunity on Wednesday. With Ja Morant out, the Lakers could have taken a 2-0 lead over the Grizzlies in their first-round series and set themselves up to sweep Memphis by winning the next two games at home. Obviously, that isn't what happened. The Grizzlies rallied with Tyus Jones at point guard. Xavier Tillman had the game of his life. Dillon Brooks talked plenty of trash to LeBron James. And now, with two games in the books, this series is tied 1-1.

Now the venue shifts from Memphis to Los Angeles, and despite Wednesday's loss, the Lakers have claimed homecourt advantage in this series. Will the Grizzlies be able to take it back? Here's everything you need to know before Game 3.

(2) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers

  • Date: Saturday, April 22 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
  • Location: Crypto.com Arena -- Los Angeles, California
  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Odds: Lakers -5; O/U 220.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)

Storylines

Lakers: Dillon Brooks continues to poke the bear, and he claims that he won't respect anyone until they drop 40 on him. Can James still do that? Forget about 40, James hasn't even score 30 in a playoff game since the bubble. Will he take the bait and focus on scoring in Game 3? History says James will always emphasize making the right basketball play. Better trash-talkers than Brooks have tried and failed to get in his head, but sooner or later, James has to prove that he is still capable of scoring like his old self in a postseason setting... right?

Grizzlies: Will Ja Morant be back? Memphis has obviously thrived without Morant over the past two seasons, going 31-15 in games he's missed over the past two seasons, but there is an enormous difference between the home game they just won and the road game they're about to play. This will be the first sold out Lakers home playoff game since 2013, as the 2020 championship run came in the bubble and the building wasn't able to fill to capacity in the 2021 series against the Phoenix Suns due to COVID restrictions. It will be an emotional crowd on Saturday, and the Lakers will feed off of that. The Grizzlies need Morant back to level the playing field.

Prediction

Without knowing Morant's status, a prediction here is almost impossible. Still, given the emotion of this game, home-court advantage is going to be so huge for the Lakers that they should have a serious advantage. The Grizzlies went 16-25 on the road this season, so expect the Lakers to take back the series lead in Game 3. The pick: Lakers -5