The Memphis Grizzlies shook off the absence of star guard Ja Morant to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-93 and knot their NBA Western Conference playoff series at one game apiece.
Xavier Tillman scored 22 points and pulled down 18 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 20 points in a bruising battle that saw Lakers center Anthony Davis suffer a small cut on his right eyelid and LeBron James drawn into a verbal back and forth with Dillon Brooks.
Who will win it all? Watch the NBA Playoffs and every game of the NBA Finals LIVE on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
NO GIANNIS BUT BUCKS MAKE PERFECT START
Elsewhere the Milwaukee Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo as they tried to claw back a victory against the Miami Heat in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, suffered a lower back contusion in the first quarter of the Eastern Conference top seeds’ 130-117 loss in game one.
The Bucks, the top seeds in the East and owners of the best regular-season record in the league, had hoped he would be fit to return but he was ruled out less than two hours before tip-off.
“He’s continued to improve,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. “But organisationally, talking and working with him and the sports performance group, a decision was made. He’s out.”
The Bucks made a perfect start without Antetokounmpo, charging out to a 81-55 lead at halftime on the back of a 46-point second quarter.
Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, sought to extend their series lead over Minnesota when they hosted the Timberwolves in game two of their Western Conference clash.
