NBA Game Preview - Memphis at LA Lakers

Sun Apr 2, 2017 3:30 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES -- With a playoff berth in hand, the Memphis Grizzlies set their sights on the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

The Grizzlies (42-34), who have dropped their last four games on the road, kick off a two-game swing against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at Staples Center.

On Friday, the Grizzlies clinched their seven straight postseason bid with a 99-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks at Memphis. Guard Mike Conley scored 28 points to lead the Grizzlies, who have won their last two after a four-game losing streak.

The Grizzlies are 1 1/2 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for No. 6 in the standings. The two teams meet April 5 in Memphis.

After guiding the club to the playoffs in his inaugural season as head coach, Memphis' David Fizdale was relieved.

"I was glad I got that monkey off my back," Fizdale told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Fizdale was hired by the Grizzlies after spending six seasons as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat.

"I don't want to be the first coach to not make the playoff in (seven) years," he said. "That part is really great. I just feel good for them. They worked really hard for this. We have been through adversity, but every team does. Our road isn't really any more rough than anyone else's, but I just know we have gone through our fair share of adversity."

Memphis will be without Marc Gasol (sprained left foot) for the fifth straight game. Forward JaMychal Green also was ruled out and will miss his third consecutive contest.

The Lakers lost 115-104 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. It was the fourth loss in a row for the Lakers (21-55) and the 16th in the past 18 games. David Nwaba came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points for the Lakers.

The Clippers roared to a 17-0 lead to open the first quarter before the Lakers rallied.

"We fought our way back into the game, which was a lot of fun, but from that point on in the first half, I thought our guys were scrappy," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "Obviously, that's a playoff team on the other side of the court, one of the top teams in the league for the past few years, so to scrap and stay in the game against them was a lot of fun and really good for our guys.

"But the 17-point run to start the game is tough to come back from, especially on the road."

Lakers forward Brandon Ingram, who missed the previous three games with right patellar tendinitis, returned to score 18 points in Saturday's loss.

"It felt pretty good out there today, sitting down, pushing the ball up the court, so I think it felt pretty good," said Ingram, who made 7 of 14 shots from the floor. "I thought I was going to feel it after the game, but it still felt good."

After the Grizzlies face the Lakers, they venture to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Tuesday. Memphis will play its final four regular-season games at home.