A loose basketball flew off the rim, into the corner and out of bounds. Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis suddenly struggled to track down the ball before it reached the courtside spectators.

The ball bounced off Davis, who fell to the ground, grimacing in pain as he clutched his left shoulder.

After another 16 seconds of play, Davis exited the game and the Lakers led by 20 points with 5:30 left in the third quarter. That lead dropped to nine by the end of the quarter as Memphis outscored the Lakers 16-5 while Davis was sidelined.

Davis came back into the game early in the fourth quarter and it felt like all the momentum Memphis had built was starting to fade. Davis finished the game with 40 points and 16 rebounds as the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies 116-110.

Sunday’s game at Crypto.com Arena was a reminder of some hard truths that the Grizzlies have been working to change but have yet to produce winning results.

LeBron James, who finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, is not the Lakers player who is causing the Grizzlies the most problems. It’s Davis – and has been since the Lakers eliminated the Grizzlies in the 2023 NBA playoffs.

Much of what the Grizzlies did with their lineups, rotations and personnel on Sunday revolved around Davis. The troubling truth is that no matter what button Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins pushed, none could slow Davis down.

Because of this, Davis and the Lakers have become a confusing opponent for the Grizzlies.

Anthony Davis stars on both ends

The Grizzlies are 1-2 against the Lakers this season – their win on Nov. 6 came when Davis didn’t play. He notably struggled in the Lakers’ first win over Memphis on Nov. 13 before coming back to life in the fourth quarter.

His ability to be a dominant presence on both ends of the floor creates problems. On offense, he is a strong protector when his mid-range jumper falls, in addition to his ability to score in the game. On Sunday, Davis shot 15 of 22.

Although Memphis still finished with 56 paint points, Davis’ presence caused hesitation. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane combined to shoot 7 for 20 on shots from inside the 3-point line. That was due in part to Davis and his ability to force guards to shoot from difficult angles and alter their shots.

Refined foul creation

One of the most frustrating things about playing against the Lakers is their ability to draw fouls. Whether you believe the calls are warranted or not, the Lakers are getting them. They’ve been in the top five in free throws per game each of the last three seasons, and Davis has been a big part of that.

Davis is second in the NBA in free throw attempts. Against Memphis, he attempted 12 attempts and ultimately played a role in Jackson’s foul with more than four minutes left in the game. In two games against Memphis this season, Davis has attempted 20 free throws.

How to solve the problem

The biggest problem solver is development. He is a newbie who learns on the fly.

For the second time this season against the Lakers, Zach Edey made the difference. On Sunday, he was plus-12 in 24 minutes. At the first meeting in Los Angeles, Edey was also plus-12.

What makes him so effective isn’t just the physicality that the 7-foot-4 center brings, but he changes the matchup dynamic more than any other big player on the Grizzlies’ roster. When Memphis is on offense, Davis, who is 6-10 and 253 pounds, is forced to battle with Edey and try to keep the 290-pounder off the glass. This frees up Jackson for favorable matchups against James or Rui Hachimura.

The same goes for defense. Having Edey guard Davis allows Jackson to move around more and avoid foul trouble.

That’s an imperfect answer considering the Lakers attacked Edey defensively in both games mentioned above, but experience will make up for those struggles.

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why the Memphis Grizzlies struggled against Anthony Davis, Lakers