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

The Los Angeles Lakers (12-13) capped off a four-game road trip with a 96-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies (10-14) on Tuesday night behind 21 points apiece from Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. 

After taking a 10-point lead over the Grizzlies after the first quarter, the Lakers were bested by Memphis by a combined 10 points in the second and third frames, and had to churn out a 29-point fourth quarter in order to squeak out a win over a gritty Memphis club that was playing without Mike Conley, Quincy Pondexter and Marc Gasol. 

A night after squandering a first-half lead against the Atlanta Hawks, it was encouraging to see the Lakers rebound and show some resiliency in crunch time. 

Zach Randolph led all Memphis scorers with 18 points and pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds in the loss.  

Key Players

Kobe Bryant, Point Guard

If we're judging him based on the eye test, Tuesday night was Kobe Bryant's best performance since returning on Dec. 8.

On the offensive end, Bryant was aggressive as he sought to attack the rim against the tenacious Tony Allen, and capitalized early on as he used his patented footwork to match his point total (eight) from Monday night's loss in the first quarter against Memphis. 

However, Kobe really shined when Allen took a seat and he was able to take advantage of favorable matchups against rookie Jamaal Franklin and James Johnson, who was only recently called up from the D-League. His 14 first-half points on 6-of-12 shooting was a game high. 

His deep three-point splashdown with just over two minutes to play helped give the Lakers a much-needed six-point cushion, as he bested one of the league's premier perimeter defenders down the stretch. 

The two negatives from Kobe's otherwise strong performance: He dished out four assists and an equal number of turnovers and also appeared to tweak his knee just a bit during the third quarter, although the injury didn't prevent him from remaining in the game. 

Grade: A- 

Pau Gasol, Center

Fans were deprived of a matchup between the Gasol brothers on Tuesday, but that wasn't necessarily bad news for the elder sibling. 

The Lakers looked to make Gasol the centerpiece of the offense from the jump, as they isolated him time and again on interim starting center Kosta Koufos. And boy did it work. 

Gasol looked excellent early working off the bounce, using a variety of crafty moves to work his way to an eight-point first quarter on 3-of-3 shooting.  

Whether he was matched up against Koufos, the undersized Jon Leuer or Ed Davis, Gasol had his way against a typically stout Grizzlies front line. 

The big Spaniard finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and looked as energetic as he has all season in a complete all-around showing.  

"Pau's one of the best players in the league. He worked through it, and he's back to normal," head coach Mike D'Antoni said following the game, according to B/R's Kevin Ding. 

It was the first time since Nov. 27 that Gasol had cracked the 20-point threshold. 

Grade: A+

Jordan Hill, Power Forward

Jordan Hill followed up a superb 21-point (8-of-8 shooting), nine-rebound performance in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks with a disappointing outing against the Grizzlies thanks to foul trouble that inhibited him from getting into any sort of rhythm. 

After picking up three first-half fouls, a fourth foul less than two minutes into the third quarter shot down any hopes that Hill would be able to get going in the second half. 

He finished the night with two points and two rebounds in seven minutes. 

On a night when Randolph scored 18 points and hounded the Lakers on the glass to the tune of 18 rebounds (six offensive), L.A. really could have used a full complement of minutes from Hill. 

Grade: F

Jodie Meeks, Shooting Guard

One of four Lakers who finished in double figures, Jodie Meeks provided L.A. with a much-needed spark from beyond the arc by draining three of his eight three-point attempts in the win. In total, the Lakers made just seven treys on the night, shooting 31.8 percent from deep. 

With 13 points and two steals, it was a nice workmanlike effort from the Lakers' interim starting shooting guard, who saw 34 minutes on a night when D'Antoni couldn't count on steady production from Xavier Henry. 

Grade: B

Wesley Johnson, Small Forward

Although the big story coming out of this one will be the play of Bryant and Gasol, Wesley Johnson played a surprisingly complete game against the Grizzlies.  

Not only was Johnson steady on the offensive end with seven points, but he also led the Lakers with six assists, pulled down five boards and tallied a steal and a block. 

His shot may have not been falling with regularity (3-of-8 shooting, 0-of-3 from three), but Johnson found plenty of other ways to make an impact in a commendable effort. 

Grade: B+

Nick Young, Sixth Man

Apparently, Nick Young didn't get the memo that the Grizzlies were the league's seventh-best scoring defense entering Tuesday night's contest. 

The instant-offense specialist came out firing and was so hot that he dropped in 11 points (4-of-4 shooting) in the game's first seven minutes and helped lead the Lakers to a 34-point first quarter. 

Swaggy P did cool down as the game wore on, though, as he managed seven points in the second half, although his third triple of the night was a thing of beauty (and hilarity).  

A night after pouring in 23 points and five threes against the Hawks, Young's steady hand helped steady the Lakers offense as he contributed 18 points (6-of-11 shooting) in 34 minutes. 

Grade: A-

Bench

Young's performance aside, D'Antoni's shorthanded second unit didn't contribute much in the scoring column. 

With the Lakers rotation only stretching nine men deep these days, the onus fell upon Henry, Shawne Williams and Robert Sacre to make the most of their opportunities.

And while the bench mob had a quiet first half, it helped string together a 15-4 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter that gave the starters some much-needed breathing room. 

Henry was largely disappointing, scoring five points on 2-of-8 shooting, and it turned out to be Sacre who wound up providing some really strong minutes down the stretch. He finished with five points (5-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line), three rebounds and three blocks in relief of Hill. 

Williams' biggest contribution in his return home came in the form of five rebounds, although he did chip in four points and post a team-best plus/minus mark of plus-14. 

Grade: C

What's Next?

The Lakers will have two days off before they return to Staples Center on Friday for a matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.