Without its star player, the Memphis Grizzlies played fast, with energy and a hint of desperation. Tyus Jones reminded everyone why he might be the best backup point guard in the NBA, and Memphis got an unexpected boost from Xavier Tillman Sr. and his career-high 22 points plus pulled down 13 rebounds.
The story is different for the Lakers. If Anthony Davis isn’t playing at an elite level — say, shooting 4-of-14 as he did Wednesday night — the Lakers don’t have a good fallback. This stat from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha sums things up:
Through two games:
Lakers with Davis on the court (75 minutes): +23
Lakers with Davis off the court (21 minutes): -17
Wednesday night Memphis pushed the pace in the first half, built a lead and held it through the second half to win 103-93 and even the series 1-1.
Game 3 is Saturday in Los Angeles. Ja Morant’s status for that game is unknown, he is recovering from a sore throat
Of course, what everyone will be talking about is Dillon Brooks calling LeBron “old.”
LeBron doesn’t play old, but he does play slowly. The Grizzlies tried to exploit that and pushing the pace was key to them getting up by 20 at one point.
Grizzlies pushed the pace — even without the otherworldly athleticism of Morant, Memphis is younger and bouncier than the Lakers. When the Lakers were able to slow the game down in the second half, they climbed back and got close, but they could never fully close the gap.
LeBron led the Lakers with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Rui Hachimora added 20, but D’Angelo Russell struggled with the Grizzlies’ pressure and shot 2-of-11.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 points for the Grizzlies, while Desmond Bane added 17.
Check out more on the Grizzlies
Ja Morant out with wrist injury for critical Game 2 vs. Lakers NBA playoffs first round results, schedule, times and where to watch Draymond Green suspended for Game 3 after stepping on Sabonis
Grizzlies pick up pace with Morant out, run past Lakers to even series originally appeared on NBCSports.com