Grizzlies stepping up at the right time
Tyus Jones displayed why he deserved to be the highest-paid backup point guard in the NBA. He had 10 points, six rebounds, and eight assists as he got the start in place of the injured Morant.
While he doesn’t have Morant’s flair for the dramatic or highlight reel plays, Jones is a dynamic talent who creates for himself and others and can really hurt a team if he gets hot. He can run Taylor Jenkins’s offensive system flawlessly as he gets his teammates involved while controlling the flow of the game.
The Grizzlies are a dangerous team whenever Morant is in the lineup but in the event, something does transpire where Morant can’t play, Jones is a great insurance policy to have. Also, a pleasant surprise was the performance of Xavier Tillman. His play made all the difference as he recorded a double-double scoring 22 points while grabbing 13 boards.
Tillman also helped out with guarding James and also played a hand in holding Davis under his normal averages. He appears to have found confidence on the offensive end as he appears to be more aggressive while he looks to attack whenever he touches the ball.
Tillman is taking full advantage of his opportunity to prove his worth as he is seeing increased minutes due to injuries and has filled in admirably for Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. The key for the Grizzlies is to continue to push the pace offensively while preventing the Lakers to set up their defense as both Jones and Tillman have been great on the fast break.
Prediction: James shows what happens when the bear is poked and Davis gets back to his normal dominating self we saw in Game 1. AD and The King prove why they are one of the best duos in the NBA as they take back the lead in this series.
Lakers 111, Grizzlies 104.