In game 2 of their first round series, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-93.
First Quarter:
Appearing unsettled and frenzied to begin the contest, the Grizzlies missed their first five shots. After Dillon Brooks threw down a ferocious slam for their first basket, they got into a rhythm and started to play more organized offense. Later in the frame, Luke Kennard and David Roddy checked in, making an immediate impact, highlighted when both of them knocked down triples in an 8-second span. Desmond Bane’s hot scoring and the Grizzlies aggressive defense led the Lakers to have problems finding the bottom of the net, as a result, at the end of the quarter, the Grizzlies were up 30-19.
Second Quarter:
With Desmond Bane taking care of point guard duties to start the quarter, the offense remained balanced. The first four baskets Memphis made in the frame, four different Grizzlies scored. In the middle of the period, John Konchar fiercely rejected Anthony Davis’ dunk attempt, igniting the crowd, helping Bluff City score a quick four points and extend their lead to 15 with 5:34 left. Rui Hachimura kept building on his strong offensive performance from Game 1, pressuring Memphis’ defense by being assertive, getting to the free throw line multiple times in the frame. For the final couple minutes, the Grizzlies offense dominated, helping them go up 59-44 going into the second half.
Third Quarter:
Xavier Tillman came out blazing hot, scoring Memphis’ first 7 points, knocking down his first three-pointer since March 4th. After leading by 20, the Lakers went on a 14-3 run to cut the lead down to 9 with 4:29 remaining. When Taylor Jenkins called a timeout to respond to the run, a flip switched, helping them get their lead back into double digits, which was in big part due to Jaren Jackson’s proficient scoring. With 12 minutes remaining, the Grizzlies were up 83-71, a quarter away from tying up the series, even without Ja Morant playing.
Fourth Quarter:
Despite struggling to score for the first few minutes, Memphis’ swarming defense helped keep their lead intact. Through the first six minutes of the fourth, both teams had not reached double-digits for the frame. Even when both teams got open looks, neither was making them at a high clip. In the final half of the quarter, the game slowed down immensely, resulting in the clock perpetually stopping. When the Lakers cut the lead to six, the Grizzlies didn’t falter. Staying composed down the stretch and knocking down big shots, the Grizzlies were able to combat a Lakers comeback attempt and even up the series 1-1 with a 103-93 victory.