Lakers at Grizzlies Preview, Odds & Best Bets

Based on brand recognition and star power the Los Angeles Lakers have always been a favorite of the betting public. You can add Austin Reaves to the list of stars. With Luka Doncic and LeBron James out of the lineup, Reaves took over as the team's scoring threat with a career-high 51 points in a win over Sacramento followed by 41 points in a loss to Portland.

The Lakers are hopeful Doncic returns sooner rather than later and James is reportedly out until mid-November. The club hopes to stay afloat in the meantime and Reaves has offered some promise.

Lakers at Grizzlies Preview

The Lakers conclude their first road trip of the season with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, October 31, 2025. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. with live streaming on Prime Video.

Public Betting Odds Factors

Despite injuries to star players Doncic and James, the Lakers are still a popular team in NBA betting.

Of note for LA is injuries to complementary players Marcus Smart, Gabe Vincent and Jaxon Hayes. For Monday’s game against Portland the Lakers had seven players unavailable to play.

On the player prop side Reaves is a target as the only experienced ball-handler and scorer on the roster due to the injury concerns. Reaves scored at least 25 points in each of the first four games and averaged 35.8 points shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

A few years ago the Grizzlies were the hot ticket in the NBA winning more than 50 games in two consecutive seasons. They fell on hard times in 23-24 and bounced back to the postseason last year winning 48 games. They are undervalued early in the season as they look to regain the form of past seasons.

The Griz need a breakout season from Ja Morant after he played just 59 games the last two seasons. He begins the year healthy and should round into form as the season progresses.

Lakers at Grizzlies Predictions

They will beat lesser teams playing without James and Doncic but the offense won’t be as efficient or explosive. Doncic will likely miss the road trip and James is out until at least the middle of November. Without help in the Portland game, Reaves was the only scorer and the team lost by 14.

Don’t expect a lot of offense from the Lakers without Doncic and James. The good thing for OVER bettors is that LA’s defense has been horrific early on allowing nearly 118 points per game cashing the OVER on the NBA betting odds in their first four games.

The Grizzlies have been either really good or really bad exacerbating their inconsistent play at the start of the season. A 131-118 loss to Golden State on Monday was their second in three games with the setbacks by a combined total of 45 points. In between they thumped Indiana 128-103.

Memphis has yet to re-sign Morant to an extension even though he’s eligible. Instead the club is looking for a commitment from their star and that should be the motivation Morant needs to reestablish himself as a legitimate star. He’s played well through four games leading the team with 22.2 points and 6.5 assists per game, but he’s struggled from distance making just 2 of 18 3-point attempts.

Lakers at Grizzlies Betting Tips

Playing at home against a shorthanded Lakers club will position Memphis as a solid favorite. The Griz opened the season winning two of three home games averaging more than 123 points in those games.

LA opponents make 38 percent of their 3-pointers and score nearly 118 points per game allowing the Griz to have a big night offensively. The Lakers played OVER the total in each of their first four games.

The Lakers had one of the worst road cover rates in the NBA last season with payouts in just 43.9 percent of their games.

Lakers at Grizzlies Head to Head and Key Stats

The Lakers hope their recent success in the series carries over to a new season. LA has won three straight and five of the last six meetings, getting payouts in the last two.