Grizzlies grind out Game 2 win over Lakers without Ja Morant

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Xavier Tillman scored a career-high 22 points and had 13 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies tied their first-round Western Conference series at 1-1 Wednesday night by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 103-93 with All-Star guard Ja Morant sidelined by an injured hand.

No. 2 seed Memphis sat Morant after he tested the right hand originally hurt April 7 in a win at Milwaukee and aggravated driving to the basket in the opening loss to the Lakers. He had more exams on the hand before being declared inactive and watched from the bench with his hand bandaged.

Morant's teammates more than made up for his absence. The Grizzlies led by as much as 20 and had fans waving their towels chanting "Whoop That Trick" with 30 seconds left with this series guaranteed a return to Memphis for Game 5. The Grizzlies were able to dribble out the final seconds for the win.

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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant watches during Game 2 of the team's first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn.  (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Jaren Jackson Jr., the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, scored 18 points for Memphis. Desmond Bane had 17, while Tyus Jones had 10 points and eight assists filling in for Morant. Dillon Brooks added 12 points and Luke Kennard had 13.

LeBron James led the Lakers with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Reserve Rui Hachimura had another strong performance with 20 points. Anthony Davis struggled mightily after posting a double-double in the opener, going 4 of 14 and finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Lakers, winners of