Memphis Grizzlies' struggles vs. LeBron's Los Angeles Lakers highlight major issue

The team lost twice on the road despite leading in the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies are in the middle of the pack in the NBA, but they continue to struggle against teams with better records.

That was evident in the team's recent losses to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. The losses were part of the reason why NBA.com writer John Schuhmann placed the Grizzlies one spot lower in his weekly power rankings from No. 17 to 18.

"The Grizzlies had fourth-quarter leads against the Sixers and Lakers (twice) last week, but wins against good teams remain elusive. Plus, they’ve got a tough January schedule," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Grizzlies are halfway through a stretch of six straight games against teams with winning records, now 2-17 against that group after their two losses to the Lakers over the weekend. One of those wins came in Phoenix in October, but they’ll be at a rest disadvantage when they host the Suns on Wednesday."

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells attempts to shoot the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Grizzlies can't beat stiff competition

The Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Indiana Pacers are the teams that rank below the Grizzlies in the power rankings.

The Grizzlies tend to do well against those teams, but have struggled against those higher than them in the power rankings. A big part of the Grizzlies' struggles has been late in games where they have not been able to execute in the final minutes.

"The Grizzlies have lost four straight games and all four were within five points in the last five minutes. They’ve been outscored by 23.1 points per 100 possessions (with bad numbers on both ends of the floor) over their 53 fourth-quarter-and-overtime minutes over the losing streak. Ja Morant has actually shot well (15-for-23) over those minutes, but he wasn’t available on Sunday and late-game offense has been a struggle for almost everyone else on the roster," Schuhmann wrote.

If the Grizzlies don't find ways to compete against these better teams, they need to make some moves at the trade deadline in order to improve the roster from within.

The Grizzlies are back in action this week with a four-game homestand before they depart for Europe. They will face off against the San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Brooklyn Nets.

Tip-off between the Grizzlies and Spurs is scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT inside FedEx Forum. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.