Grizzlies, Lakers meet for third time this season

This is the third meeting of the season between the clubs. The teams split a pair of contests at FedExForum. The Lakers will host Memphis on February 11, 2006 in the final contest of the campaign between the clubs.

LA returns home for a pair of games after going 1-2 on a three-game road trip. On Monday, Gilbert Arenas scored a game-high 34 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Washington Wizards over the Lakers, 94-91, at the MCI Center.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, but had only six in the final quarter, in the loss to Washington for the Lakers, who relinquished a 12-point lead late in the third and failed to recover in the fourth. Smush Parker had 16 points and Chris Mihm netted 11 for Los Angeles.

The Lakers, who are scheduled to host the Utah Jazz on Sunday, are 6-6 as the host this season. They have won three of their last four at the Staples Center.

Memphis plays the second of a four-game road trip. On Monday, Andrei Kirilenko had a season-high 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead Utah to an exciting 105-102 overtime win over the Grizzlies at the Delta Center.

Pau Gasol finished with a game-high 32 points and 11 boards in the loss to the Jazz for the Grizzlies, who lost for the first time in three outings. Eddie Jones netted 25 for Memphis, while Mike Miller scored 14 off the bench.

The Grizzlies, who will visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and the Seattle SuperSonics on Saturday, are 7-5 as the visitor this season. They have lost two in a row on the road.

Memphis has won five of seven and six of the last nine meetings in this series. The Grizzlies snapped an 18-game series road losing streak on December 20, 2004. The Grizzlies are 1-18 all-time at the Lakers.