Grizzlies vs Lakers Picks and Predictions: LeBron-at-Center Lakers Keep It Moving

James Bisson - Head of Content, Betting
James Bisson • Head of Content, Betting 16+ years betting experience
Updated: Jan 9, 2022 , 01:50 PM ET • 4 min read

We say this lightly, but it appears the Lakers may be turning a corner, and get a chance to prove it against a red-hot Grizzlies team Sunday night. Find the best betting angles in our full Grizzlies vs. Lakers betting preview below.

LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers NBA
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers have won four games in a row and will now host the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. The Grizzlies just beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, so this team could end up earning a weekend sweep in this building. 

Will Memphis end up dealing Los Angeles a loss? Continue reading our Grizzlies vs. Lakers picks and predictions to find out. 

Grizzlies vs Lakers odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The Lakers opened as 3-point favorites over the Grizzlies in this one, but they are now laying only 2.5 on some books. Meanwhile, the total opened at 226 and is now sitting at either 225.5 or 226. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

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Grizzlies vs Lakers predictions

Predictions made on 01/09/2022 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

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Grizzlies vs Lakers game info

Location: Crypto-com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Date: Sunday, January 9, 2022
Tip-off: 9:30 p.m. ET
TV: SNLA, BSSE, TSN

Grizzlies vs Lakers betting preview

Injuries

Grizzlies: Ja Morant G (Questionable), Dillon Brooks f (Doubtful), Steven Adams C (Doubtful), Xavier Tillman F (Questionable), Kyle Anderson F (Doubtful), John Konchar G (Questionable).
Lakers: Anthony Davis C (Out), Kendrick Nunn G (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games. Find more NBA betting trends for Grizzlies vs. Lakers.

Grizzlies vs Lakers picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

The Lakers have won four games in a row and five of their last six, and they’ll now have a chance to make something of a statement with a win over a Grizzlies team that they lost to on December 29. Memphis was a 5.5-point favorite in that game and only earned a 5-point victory, so Los Angeles did ultimately cover. However, the Lakers will now be hoping to actually come away with a win, and they should be able to do just that. 

Over the last two weeks, the Lakers have really unlocked something special with LeBron James playing the center position. The 37-year-old has scored at least 31 points in nine of his last 10 games, and he’s still filling up the stat sheet and impacting the game on both ends of the floor. LeBron will now face a Grizzlies team that is likely to be without Adams, who is one of the only players that would be able to make him unplayable at the center position. Look for him to dominate this one, especially if he has some help from his shooters. 

Malik Monk is somebody that should be able to come out and do some damage here. Monk has been a fantastic shooter all year, but he’s coming off a game in which he scored 29 points in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. Monk has now scored at least 20 points in five of his last seven, and he’s looking like one of the biggest steals of 2021 free agency. Meanwhile, Talen Horton-Tucker was also able to snap out of his recent funk last game, as he had 21 points and five assists off the bench. He’s another player to keep an eye on in this game. 

It’s also worth noting that Dillon Brooks got injured in the Grizzlies’ win over the Clippers on Saturday. Memphis isn’t going to be able to easily replace his ability to get tough buckets in big moments. 

Prediction: Lakers -2.5 (-110)

The Lakers continue to be an excellent Over bet at the moment. Not only is Los Angeles just miserable on the defensive end, but the team has also found a way to consistently play great offense on its own. The Over is now 6-2 in the Lakers’ last eight games and things aren’t going to slow down against a Grizzlies team that is fifth in the league in offensive rating this season. 

The Over is actually 15-5 when Memphis is playing a road game after having won its previous game on the road over the last two seasons. It’s also 10-1 when the Grizzlies won that game by 10 or more points. 

Prediction: Over 225.5 (-110)

The Lakers seem to finally have things working right now and LeBron is playing at an extremely high level. The superstar should now be able to really give Los Angeles an edge in this game, as he’s just going to be too much for guys like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke here. Also, Russell Westbrook should be able to play rather well in a matchup with Ja Morant. Morant is going to get his on the offensive end, but he’ll also give plenty back. 

Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last six games entering this one, and the team should once again cover here. 

Pick: Lakers -2.5 (-110)

NBA parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NBA Grizzlies vs. Lakers predictions and picks in a single-game parlay, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?

Use our NBA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

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James Bisson
Head of Content, Betting

James Bisson is the Editor-in-Chief at Covers. He has been a writer, reporter and editor for more than 20 years, including a nine-year stint with The Canadian Press and more than five years at theScore. He has covered dozens of marquee events including the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Stanley Cup final and Wrestlemania 23, and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Yahoo! Sports, the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail.

His book, “100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments”, was a hardcover best-seller in Canada in 2008 and earned him appearances on CBC Radio and Canada AM. He has written more than 50 sportsbook reviews, more than 200 industry news articles, and dozens of other sportsbook-related content articles.

A graduate of the broadcast journalism program at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), James has been an avid bettor since the early 2000s, and cites bet365 as his favorite sports betting site due to its superior functionality and quick payouts. His biggest professional highlight: Covering Canada's first Olympic gold medal on home soil – and interviewing Bret Hart. Twice.

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