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.

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Brooks was asked about his running battle with James post-game and didn’t seem too concerned by anyone suggesting he should have more respect for the Lakers superstar.

“I don’t care. He’s old,” Brooks told reporters.

“I poke bears. I don’t respect someone until he gives me 40.”

With All-Star point guard Morant ruled out with a bruised right hand, the Grizzlies clamped down defensively, Tillman saying their message to Morant was “we’ve got his back, and we’re going to hold it down for him.” Tillman keyed Memphis’s quick start, connecting on his first six shots and finishing 10-of-13 from the floor.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points on the way to a 59-44 halftime lead as the harried Lakers failed to find a way to get their offence firing.

Davis blocked five shots in the first half but connected on just one of nine shot attempts. He finished with 13 points on four-of-14 shooting.

James led all scorers with 28 points and Japan’s Rui Hachimura added 20 to become the first Laker to score 20 points off the bench in back-to-back playoff games since Magic Johnson in 1996.

But unlike in game one, there would be no late resurgence for the Lakers, the Grizzlies absorbing the Lakers’ second-half push.

Jaren Jackson Jr., the newly named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, scored 18 points, Desmond Bane added 17 and Brooks chipped in 12. Tyus Jones, starting in place of Morant, added 10 and eight assists.

After the Grizzlies pushed their lead to 20 points early in the third quarter, the Lakers began to push back.

Two baskets and two free throws from James launched a 17-3 Lakers scoring run that sliced the deficit to six points, but that’s as close as they would get the rest of the way.

Now, Tillman said, the Grizzlies will summon a “road warrior mentality” for game three of the best-of-seven series in Los Angeles.

NO GIANNIS BUT NO PROBLEM FOR BUCKS AS INGLES STARS

The Milwaukee Bucks barely noticed the injury absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo as they crushed the Miami Heat 138-122 to level their series at one game apiece.

With the talismanic Antetokounmpo missing after suffering a lower-back contusion in Sunday’s game-one defeat, the top-seeded Bucks delivered a balanced offensive effort to overwhelm Miami.

The Bucks led from early in the first quarter and never looked back, sprinting out of reach after outscoring Miami 45-27 in the second quarter to lead by a whopping 81-55 at half-time.

Milwaukee kept the scoring up in the third quarter, extending their lead to 36 points at one stage to make victory a formality.

Brook Lopez led the way for Milwaukee with 25 points while Jrue Holiday added 24 points as no fewer than seven Bucks players finished in double figures.

“All season long guys have been in and out of the line-up, different guys have been stepping up and having those moments,” said the Bucks’ Bobby Portis, who finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.

“Playoffs is all about moments, and we’ve got guys capable of having those moments. We’ve just got to keep it rolling,” Portis added.

Milwaukee did severe damage from outside the arc, shooting an astounding 25-of-49 from three-point range to tie an NBA playoff record.

Australian Joe Ingles was big off the bench with 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals after shooting 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Jimmy Butler led the Miami scorers with 25 points while Bam Adebayo finished with 18.

MURRAY STARS IN PLAYOFF WARNING FOR NUGGETS

Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, extended their series lead over Minnesota to 2-0 with a 122-113 win in the final game of the day.

Arguably the performance of the night came from the Nuggets’ Murray, who poured in 40 points in the win.

It was the latest milestone in Murray’s long road back from a serious knee injury.

The 26-year-old point guard missed the entirety of the 2021-2022 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair torn knee ligaments in April 2021.

Denver looked to be cruising to victory after leading 64-49 at half-time before a 40-point Minnesota third quarter turned the game on its head to leave the Timberwolves up by two.

But Murray and Michael Porter Jr. combined for 23 fourth-quarter points to seal Denver’s victory.

“It was a passionate, heartfelt performance,” Denver coach Michael Malone said of Murray’s display.

“Just the fact that he’s missed the last two postseasons, just to have him back, and playing at that level — Jamal overall was terrific.”

Murray was almost outshone by Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, who finished with 41 points in a losing effort.