Christie’s stat line of seven points on 1-of-3 shooting to go with two rebounds against the Grizzlies doesn’t fully capture his impact from the game.

He was the Lakers’ primary defender on Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who finished with 20 points on 6-of-21 shooting to go with seven rebounds, six assists and seven turnovers.

The league’s tracking data credited Christie with holding Morant to seven points on 2-of-11 shooting, and two assists and four turnovers during the possessions when he defended the All-Star point guard.

“It’s a lot of confidence,” Christie said. “I’ve been thrown in the fire guarding a lot of really good players. Trae Young, Ja Morant, to name a few. So it’s definitely a big confidence booster for me.

“My teammates did a really good job of being in the gaps. For me, it’s hard to contain someone as athletic and fast as (Morant) by myself. So there were moments where I did a good job but there were other times he kind of got by me and my teammates were in their shifts and they helped me out too. But confidence-wise, I’m at an all-time high with my defense. My athleticism, my length and just kind of my willingness to give as much effort as I can on that end has translated well.”

INJURY UPDATES

Injured forward Christian Wood won’t travel with the Lakers for their road games against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday and Saturday, but he will take a significant step in his return-to-play process in Southern California while the team is away.

Redick said Wood will do live drills against the team’s coaching associates during the road trip.

“He’s doing more on the court with obviously just individual work,” Redick said. “His Alter-G (anti-gravity treadmill) stuff, getting to 95%, 100% on the Alter-G. He’s had progress and it’s looking like it’ll be soon. Barring a setback, he’ll be back.”

Wood hasn’t played this season after having left knee surgery during the offseason. He missed the final two months of last season after a previous procedure on the knee.

Redick said the team anticipates having an update on backup center Jaxson Hayes early next week. Hayes has missed the last nine games and 15 of the last 16 because of right ankle ailments.

BRONNY news

Lakers rookie Bronny James, coming off of a few promising performances for the South Bay Lakers, will participate in the G League Winter Showcase this week, according to an ESPN report.

The showcase, which runs from Dec. 19-22 in Orlando, Florida, is considered one of the most important events on the G League calendar, with representatives from all 30 NBA teams in attendance to scout the talent.

James, 20, who was selected by the Lakers with the No. 55 pick in the second round of June’s draft, has averaged 20.7 points on 43.1% shooting (26.3% from 3-point range) with 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists over his past three games for South Bay.

South Bay’s first game in Orlando is Thursday against the Greensboro (N.C.) Swarm.