The Memphis Grizzlies had about as bad of a Game 1 as any team could have. Not only did they lose the series opener on their homecourt against the Los Angeles Lakers, but NBA superstar Ja Morant also suffered an injury.
Morant re-aggravated the hand injury he suffered near the end of the regular season, which led to him being on the sidelines for Game 2. That may have galvanized the roster, as Memphis played a solid all-around game to pick up a 103-93 victory, evening the series up at one.
Without Morant in the lineup, the Grizzlies needed other players to step up. One who answered the call was Xavier Tillman. Tillman has been an integral part of the team’s lineup since Steven Adams went down with an injury. On Wednesday, he had the game of his life.
“Obviously, this is a big win for us,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “You know, great performance from him (Tillman), other guys as well.”
Tillman scored a career-high 23 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. He outplayed Lakers star big man Anthony Davis, who scored only 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds.
His performance on both ends of the court drew praise not only from his head coach but his teammates as well. Tyus Jones, who stepped into the starting lineup in place of Morant, spoke very highly of Tillman’s performance.
“He was big time for us tonight and a big reason why we got the win,” Jones said.
Jones had some big shoes to fill stepping into the starting lineup in place of Morant. It is a role that he has experience in given how many games Morant has missed. As a starter this season, Jones averaged 16.4 points, 8.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
While his jump shot failed him in Game 2, as he went 0-for-5 on 3-point attempts, he still scored 10 points with eight assists, six rebounds and one steal. In typical fashion, he also took excellent care of the basketball, turning the ball over only once in 36 minutes.
“They’re just as dangerous a team when Tyus is starting,” LeBron James said. “They don’t miss a beat, and we knew that. No matter if Ja’s in the game. If Ja’s starting, dangerous. If Tyus is starting, dangerous. It didn’t change our approach.”
James didn’t receive nearly as much help in this one as he did in Game 1. He scored a game-high 28 points, shooting 12-of-23 from the field overall. He struggled with his jumper, making only 1-of-8 3-point attempts. He also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds to go along with three assists, one steal and one block.
The Lakers are going to need other players to step up around James if they want any chance of defeating the Grizzlies in this series. With things now shifting over to Crypto.com Arena for Games 3 and 4, the big question is whether or not Morant will be able to suit up.
“Hopefully over the next couple of days, there’s more significant improvement,” Jenkins said. Getting him back in the lineup is integral to the Grizzlies playing at their highest possible level on the road.
