The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on Sunday.

The Grizzlies (2-0) were one of the surprises of the 2021 season when they reached the postseason, and early-season results are certainly encouraging. They've started with two wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers, grabbing the ladder win on the road. The guy who's been sparkling is Ja Morant, collecting 65 points and 14 assists in those first two games. The role players have been remarkable, too, with Steven Adams, Desmond Bane, and De'Anthony Melton all playing well, too. That makes this one of the most underrated teams in the NBA, and it has them as a club no one wants to see going forward.

The Lakers (0-2) have been the talk of the NBA and for all the wrong reasons. There were numerous question marks coming into the year, and the first two games have given us some discouraging answers. A narrow loss in the opener against the Golden State Warriors was understandable, but a blowout loss against the Phoenix Suns in the next game has people chirping. They trailed by nearly 40 points at times in that defeat, and a spat between Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis has skeptics wondering what is going on. Things like that can be good for a struggling team, though, and fans are hopeful it's the boost they need to get this club out of their early-season swoon.

Los Angeles swept the three-game season series over Memphis last year. They've actually won six of their last seven games over them in total, dating back two years.