Lakers News: Why Experts Believe Game 6 Is A Must-Win For LA

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During a new episode of their podcast The Ringer NBA Show - Group Chat, The Ringer's Wosny Lambry, Justin Verrier and Rob Mahoney spoke about the status of your Los Angeles Lakers' first round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, following a lopsided 116-99 Game 5 Grizzlies win in Memphis Wednesday.

"And the Lakers look like a team that was up 3-1, had an extremely quick turnaround, their best guys are bruised up -- LeBron and AD," Lambry noted. "LeBron, man, god bless him, in year 20. The fact that he would hold off a foot surgery just 'cause there was potential he might make the second round of the playoffs, I love him for that, but he just looks so spent at times. There was one possession, Justin, where this guy, on a drive to the rim where nobody's around he just falls on the floor... There were just certain points in this game and throughout this series where he's showing his age. I think the Lakers seem like a team that understood, 'Look, we've got a home game to close these guys out. We've played them pretty damn well all series, but probably don't [have] the peddle to the metal mentality [that the Grizzlies have in Game 5]'... To my mind, this is a one-game series now. Whoever wins Game 6 is coming out of this thing, the way I see it."

James, who's struggled with his jumper throughout the matchup, had by far his worst game of the series on both ends of the floor in Game 5. He scored 15 points on just 5-of-17 shooting from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds, and saw his five dimes offset by five turnovers.

"[LeBron] has had amazing plays in this series and we should mention that, but good god this guy from three is... I don't even know, man," Verrier joked. "Just looking like AD almost at this point. He was 1-for-9 [in Game 5], 3-for-28 over the past four games, 6-for-36 in this first round series," Verrier noted. "And it wouldn't be a big deal if this was peak LeBron who wasn't hobbled [with his foot injury], but as we've seen, especially when the Grizzlies starting raining, he needs to jack it up in order to match them. And also when he doesn't get by his defender he is prone to just lofting it up there and kind of going about his business and so it's starting to compound."

"The Lakers spend a lot of possessions with four of their role players essentially passing the ball, and LeBron is at the hash mark," Mahoney noted. "He's not healthy, you know? It's so obvious every time he plays on both sides of the floor. He's giving them everything he can give them... But AD's going to have another game like [Game 6]."

Davis finished with 31 points while shooting 14-of-23 from the floor and pulled down 19 boards. The game got away from LA once head coach Darvin Ham removed him near the end of the third quarter, allowing the Grizzlies to go on a decisive 19-2 run that set them up for extended success in the fourth.

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