LA Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Postgame Grades and Analysis for LA

Nobody really thought the L.A. Lakers would start their turnaround by winning a road contest against the rugged Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night, but it would have been reasonable to expect L.A. to at least put up a fight.

Instead, the Lakers got absolutely crushed on the glass, failed to defend the paint and played offense like a bunch of strangers en route to a 106-93 loss that wasn't even as close as the final score would seem to indicate.

The defeat was the Lakers' fourth straight overall and seventh consecutive loss on the road. And the gory details of this one certainly don't point to any impending end to the team's misery.

Memphis shot 49 percent from the field, out-rebounded L.A. by a margin of 52-34 and scored a ridiculous 60 points in the paint. At times, it seemed like every Memphis bucket came easily, as the Grizzlies repeatedly traipsed down the lane for uncontested dunks and layups. Of course, even when they missed those looks, the Grizzlies inhaled offensive rebounds for simple putbacks.

L.A. has now lost 10 out of 12 in the month of January, and with Dwight Howard going down with an injury to the same shoulder that sidelined him earlier this year, things could get much worse before they get better.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with an empty 29 points, but he and his teammates basically flat-lined on defense and (obviously) on the glass. L.A. fell to 17-25 with the loss.

Prepare for some pretty ugly grades, folks. This was not a pretty performance.

Point Guard

Steve Nash: D

Steve Nash came into the game averaging just 8.4 shots per contest (his lowest rate in nearly 14 years), and his reluctance to put the ball up was pretty evident in the early going. Nash eschewed an open three and a short floater in the first quarter alone. Of course, because this is Steve Nash we're talking about, the Lakers point guard still finished with a reasonably efficient seven points on six shots.

It may not be in his basketball DNA, but the Lakers would probably like Nash to force the issue a little more often. The question now is whether he's even capable of getting enough decent shots to make an impact. He looked a step slow against Mike Conley and really had a hard time finding any open space in which to operate.

Speaking of Conley, the Grizzlies point guard completely wore Nash out. Whether it was off screens, in the pick-and-roll or in isolation, Nash had absolutely no hope of staying with Memphis' ball-handler. It was a little tough to watch at times, to be honest.

If the end-to-end beating Conley doled out weren't enough, Nash was also his own worst enemy, kicking the ball around to the tune of six turnovers. And as long as we're piling on, he missed his first foul shot of the year.

L.A.'s point man complemented his seven points with eight assists and three rebounds, but he's going to want to forget this one as soon as possible.

Shooting Guard

Kobe Bryant: D-

Kobe Bryant's shooting numbers have started to come back to earth, a regression that has coincided with the L.A. Lakers' worst stretch of basketball all season. No. 24 has been shooting just 42 percent over his last 10 games, eight of which the Lakers have lost.

Although he bucked the poor shooting trend against the Grizzlies, Bryant's 11-of-23 performance from the field wasn't enough to overcome his team's (and his own) ongoing struggles on defense and on the glass.

Offensively, Bryant took more than his fair share of contested jumpers in isolation, but also peppered in a few attempts at the rim—a surprising feat against a typically stout Memphis interior defense.

In the end, Bryant's stubbornness got the best of him, though, as he continued to attack when the Grizzlies put the impossibly long Rudy Gay on him during the third quarter. Gay forced back-to-back air balls, as Bryant made the curious decision to try fading away from the mid-post area against Memphis' rangy small forward.

A visibly frustrated Bryant is becoming an increasingly common sight during Lakers games, and this one was no different. His dissatisfaction came to a head when he got hit with a technical foul in the fourth quarter for violently punching the air after Tony Wroten blocked his layup attempt.

Kobe can complain and hog the ball all he wants, but until he realizes that he's very much part of the problem in L.A., his histrionics are going to fall on deaf ears.

Bryant's 29 points were nice, but L.A. might have been better off without him in this one.

Small Forward

Metta World Peace: C-

Metta World Peace came into this one amid a shooting slump that has seen him hit just a hair over 40 percent of his shots in the month of January, so his 4-of-9 performance was a relatively pleasant surprise for the Lakers.

But MWP's scoring efficiency was barely enough to offset his curious disappearance on defense and on the glass. Maybe he's adopting the "Kobe System."

None of the Lakers wings did even a halfway decent job on defense or the boards, but World Peace was the most notably poor Laker in those areas. He spent the bulk of his time matched up against Rudy Gay and Tony Allen, both of whom had multiple free runs toward rebounds when the Lakers small forward simply forgot to box them out.

And when he slid over onto Zach Randolph in the second half, things got ugly. Z-Bo worked MWP deep into the post, either scoring or drawing fouls during an impressive third-quarter effort. Mike D'Antoni was forced to move Earl Clark onto Randolph after World Peace picked up his fourth foul in the third period.

On the night, World Peace totaled 15 points, three rebounds and three blocks.

L.A. needed smart play, athleticism and help on the boards to beat Memphis. MWP provided none of the above.

Power Forward

Earl Clark: B-

We'll get the bad out of the way first: Earl Clark didn't have a very efficient shooting night, as he made only 5-of-13 shots en route to 11 points. Really, though, that's pretty much where the criticism should end. Because Clark had himself a nice little game as the Lakers' starting power forward.

He led the team in rebounds with nine, played energetically on offense and was one of the only Lakers to occasionally get back in transition. It may not seem like much, but Clark's quickness and willingness to run really stood out on the Lakers.

It's entirely possible that Clark only looked good because his teammates played so lethargically, but hey, we're looking for any silver linings from this dreadful Lakers performance.

Center

Dwight Howard: Inc

With just over two minutes left in the first half, Howard grimaced, grabbed his injured right shoulder and motioned to the bench for a timeout. He had two points and two rebounds on 0-of-4 shooting at that point.

And that's where his night ended.

In 14 minutes, Howard pulled a figurative no-show against the bulky Memphis Grizzlies front line, but then he went literal. Even though Howard has been having his worst season in years, the Lakers clearly need whatever defense and rebounding he can provide.

The hole in the middle of the key certainly wasn't filled by Pau Gasol, as the Grizzlies racked up an incredible 60 points in the paint. As bad as Howard has been, his team needs him.

Who knows how low they'll sink if he misses significant time.

Sixth Man

Pau Gasol: C-

We're officially at a point in Gasol's athletic deterioration where he does absolutely everything flat-footed. Rebounds, driving layups and blocks all now occur with Gasol's feet firmly rooted to the hardwood. As you might imagine, the Spaniard's total inability to elevate has some pretty negative (and occasionally embarrassing) consequences.

More than once, Gasol had point-blank attempts rejected by smaller players who elevated over him.

Still, in Dwight Howard's absence, Gasol looked somewhat more comfortable as the team's center. He finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes. However, he missed six out of 10 shots and provided absolutely no defensive presence in the middle.

If Howard misses time, we'll at least get to find out if Gasol's dreadful season is the result of Mike D'Antoni misusing him. But based on what we saw against Memphis, the unfortunate reality may be that he's simply not capable of playing to his All-Star form anymore.

Bench

Bench Grade: F

Having already covered Pau Gasol, there's very little left to discuss when it comes to the L.A. Lakers bench. So, we'll keep things mercifully brief here.

Antawn Jamison continued to look like a player without a role, as he missed both of his shots and produced no other discernible impact on the game. He can't defend, doesn't pass and generally can't even be relied upon to rebound anymore.

Three rebounds in 14 minutes might sound respectable, but none of them were tough ones in traffic.

Chris Duhon was the only other Lakers reserve to log double-digit minutes, and he spent his time on the floor doing next to nothing. The veteran point guard made his only shot—a deep three-pointer—but put up zero assists, rebounds, steals or blocks. Can you say non-factor?

We'll end here with Jodie Meeks, who scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting. But because he was clearly gunning for stats during the last two minutes of the game, he earns nothing but disdain from this grader.