No Morant, No Problem As Grizzlies Sink Lakers in Game 2 to Even Series

• The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2
• The Grizzlies evened the series at one apiece with Wednesday’s win
• Ja Morant did not play in Game 2 after an injury in the series opener 

The Memphis Grizzlies shrugged off the injury absence of Ja Morant on Wednesday night, recording a 103-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2.

Xavier Tillman played the game of his life, scoring a career-high 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

Five other players scored in double figures for the Grizzlies, who will head to Los Angeles with the series tied at one game apiece.

Grizzlies' starters step up

Jaren Jackson Jr. stuffed the stat sheet in Game 2, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and one steal in 40 minutes of action, per ESPN.

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Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, and Tyus Jones were the other starters to score in double digits, dropping 17, 12, and 10 points, respectively.

Luke Kennard shot the ball well off the bench, scoring 13 points against the Lakers.

Memphis starts strong vs. LA

Grizzlies fans feared the worst when the team announced before the start of Game 2 that Morant would not be playing for Memphis.

He was sat after he tested the right hand he injured in the Game 1 loss to Los Angeles. Several exams were done on his hand before he was declared inactive for Wednesday’s game.

Morant’s teammates picked up the slack as the Grizzlies got off to a fantastic start in Game 2. They outscored the Lakers 30-19 in the first quarter, with Memphis unleashing a 22-8 run during that period.

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Bane starred in that initial attack, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the first quarter.

Lakers' unbeaten run snapped

The Grizzlies continued piling the pressure on the Lakers, leading by as much as 20 points in this contest.

It was a disappointing loss for the Lakers, who failed to take advantage of Morant’s absence. They had their four-game winning streak snapped with the Game 2 loss.

LeBron James registered a double-double with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

Suns rally past Clippers

Sports Brief recently reported on the Suns' win over the Clippers in Game 2.

Devin Booker scored 38 points to lead Phoenix to a 123-109 victory.

Kevin Durant added 25 points for the Suns to make it one game apiece.