When it was announced shortly before the tip for Game 2 that Ja Morant would not play due to a hand injury, it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers would have a major advantage.
But the Memphis Grizzlies came out and played with the sense of urgency they needed to after dropping Game 1 on Sunday.
They beat the Lakers in numerous aspects, especially in the hustle categories, allowing them to tie the best-of-seven first-round series 1-1 with a 103-93 win. They led early 14-7, increased that lead to 15 at halftime and never looked back, despite a couple of mini-runs by Los Angeles.
Desmond Bane hurt the Lakers early, shooting 5-of-7 in the first quarter, but it was Xavier Tillman, who is filling in for the injured Steven Adams, who ended up being the MVP of the contest for Memphis. He finished with a career-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting, to go along with 13 rebounds.
Los Angeles had trouble offensively all game, shooting just 41.2% overall and 26.9% from 3-point range. Although it committed just 12 turnovers, the Grizzlies capitalized by turning them into easy points.
On the bright side, the Lakers did what they wanted to do in these first two games: take one and steal home-court advantage from Memphis. The next two games will take place in L.A., with Game 3 tipping off at 7 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday.
Anthony Davis: D
This was one of Davis’ worst games in quite some time. He went 1-of-9 in the first half and scored six points. He finished the game 4-of-14 with just 13 points.
Memphis continually sent a second defender at him when he got the ball on the wing or in the post, and when he got the ball in deep post position, it made him play in congestion. The Lakers couldn’t find a counter.
Davis had some of his shots blocked: Two were rejected by John Konchar, a 6-foot-5 reserve guard who isn’t known for blocking shots.
Los Angeles must find a way to get Davis the ball in his sweet spots on the move so he can get off a good shot almost immediately before a double team materializes. It also needs to get him more transition opportunities, as it only got 12 fast-break points overall, compared to 26 on Sunday in Game 1.
In addition, Davis and his teammates need to respond to the Grizzlies’ physicality, which was a major factor in this loss for the Lakers.
On a positive note, he continued his defensive dominance with five blocked shots after rejecting seven shots on Sunday.
Jarred Vanderbilt: B/B-plus
Vanderbilt grabbed eight rebounds, got two steals and blocked a shot in 22 minutes. He took his turn guarding multiple players, and with his help, Bane cooled off considerably after a hot first quarter, finishing the game just 6-of-18 overall.
Offensively, Vanderbilt has been looking to flash into the paint when a teammate has the ball in the post. He scored a couple of buckets early in the fourth quarter to try to get his team going, but he tends to fumble passes in the paint and be tentative going up for layups at or near the basket.
LeBron James: B-plus
Early, James looked intent early on imposing his will on the game. He started to get himself going on a higher level in the second half when he looked to post up and back his defender down more often, as well as move without the ball and spring open in the paint for some easy baskets.
Statistically, he did well with 28 points on 12-of-23 shooting and 12 rebounds, but he went 1-of-8 from 3-point range, which has been a problem for him all season. He also had only three assists, which was partly due to his teammates’ inability to hit open shots from the outside.
Austin Reaves: C-plus/B-minus
After an excellent Game 1, Reaves came back to earth a bit on Wednesday. He shot just 5-of-12 and scored only 12 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists, and the Grizzlies did a better job of sealing off his pathways to the basket off the dribble, giving him fewer opportunities to pull up for the jumper.
D'Angelo Russell: D
Russell simply couldn’t find his game in Game 2. He shot just 2-of-11 overall and 1-of-5 from downtown, and he seemed a little bit tentative in terms of forcing the issue offensively.
He had seven rebounds and four assists, but he also committed three turnovers and spent time in foul trouble.
For the Lakers to win this series and make a deep playoff run, they need Russell to shoot well more often than not, even if it means fewer outside shots and more forays into the paint.
Rui Hachimura: A/A-plus
Other than James, Hachimura was the Lakers’ only real offensive threat in Game 2. As he did in Game 1, he was aggressive, not to mention efficient, and he mixed it up, combining his outside shot with mid-range shots and drives to the hoop.
Hachimura finished with 20 points on 7-of-12 overall shooting and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, and he also led the team with six free-throw attempts.
If he continues to play at this type of level, the Lakers should have a good chance of eliminating Memphis from the playoffs.
Troy Brown Jr.: D
In 11 minutes, Brown made almost no impact on the game. He missed his only shot attempt, and his only contributions were two assists, one rebound and one steal.
Dennis Schroder: D
Schroder, like Brown, went scoreless, and in 16 minutes he attempted only three shots. Although he dished three assists, he committed two turnovers.
This was the type of game where Schroder could’ve made an impact offensively and turned the game around, but he failed to do so. L.A. needs more scoring and overall aggression from him.
Malik Beasley: B
Beasley has seen his playing time go down in the Lakers’ three postseason games so far, and he was on the court for just 13 minutes on Wednesday.
He gave the team a bit of a lift, however. He quickly hit a 3-pointer after entering the game, and he shook free for another basket in the paint. Overall, Beasley shot 2-of-4 overall and scored seven points.
Wenyen Gabriel, Mo Bamba, Shaq Harrison, Lonnie Walker IV, Max Christie: Incomplete
All five players came in near the end of the game, and all five made no positive contribution on the stat sheet.
