Dillon Brooks’ attention-seeking postgame routine about LeBron James perhaps left the misimpression that a mano a mano battle between these two was a main driver of the outcome of Grizzlies-Lakers Game 2.

In reality, while Brooks was still James’ primary defender in Memphis’ first-round playoff win on Wednesday night, the Grizzlies mixed it up more than they had in Game 1, using five different defenders on James (six if you count Luke Kennard getting stuck with him in transition). 

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Notably, James bodied the smaller Brooks in the paint to catch and finish lobs on consecutive positions at around the four-minute mark, cutting the Grizzlies’ lead to six both times. The Grizzlies switched the bigger Xavier Tillman Sr. onto James, which snuffed out that play and forced the Lakers into lower-percentage looks to close the game. 

Through two games, here’s who’s guarded James’ shot attempts and how he’s fared against each defender:

So, the rest of the defending field, taken together, roughly matched Brooks. But that obscures the game-to-game drift. In Game 1, which Los Angeles won, Brooks guarded nine of James’ 16 field-goal attempts. In Game 2, it was eight of 23. All of Tillman’s possessions and six of Roddy’s seven came in Game 2.

Brooks being limited to 23 minutes with five fouls was a part of this, no doubt. But the Grizzlies found some success in mixing it up more. And maybe that trend should continue as the series moves to L.A.

Perhaps needling the game’s all-time leading scorer is begging a response Brooks and the Grizzlies don’t really want. But, I mean, he’s right: The 38-year-old James is old by NBA standards.

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He’s also recently returned from a foot injury. 

Here are where James’ field-goal attempts came from in the first two games of the series, and how well he converted them:

James is still a freight-train finisher in transition, and the Grizzlies need to slow that down. But in the halfcourt, he hasn’t been as dynamic off the dribble as he once was. Most of his shots have been stationary jumpers and in-the-paint bully ball. Even most of those drives started as post-ups. 

Sixteen of James’ 39 attempts have come from 3-point range, or 41%. That’s compared to 31% in the regular season and 23% on James’ career. Maybe that changes. But after Saturday’s Game 3, April 22, (9 p.m., ESPN, Bally Sports Southeast, 92.9 FM/680 AM), the rest between games narrows and fatigue may work against the older Lakers and their oldest star.

Brooks almost always defends the other team’s top on-ball scorer, and I guess that’s still James. It’s core to both Brooks’ identity and the Grizzlies’ usual game plan. But brawnier defenders may better handle James in the post and ward off lobs. Longer defenders may better harass those 3-pointers. 

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If Brooks is less necessary as an individual defender on James than we might have expected, that could just mean less Brooks, who has shot poorly while the Grizzlies’ offense has predictably thrived with Desmond Bane and Luke Kennard together. 

But that’s not the suggestion here. 

Rather, it would be to follow the Game 2 trend of using Tillman, Jaren Jackson Jr., David Roddy and even the stout Bane more frequently on James and shifting some of Brooks’ defensive burden to the backcourt, where the Grizzlies are weaker.

Could it be that the defensive recipe for the Grizzlies would be better if Brooks is used more as a cooler on whatever guard (or whichever Rui Hachimura) the Grizzlies are most worried about in the moment? To try to avoid the repeat of Game 1’s Austin Reaves experience? 

Even when he’s flinging 3s, James is of late playing more like a stretch big than a dynamic wing. The Grizzlies have more defensive talent in the frontcourt than the backcourt. Maybe Brooks’ defense is more needed elsewhere?

And a few other thoughts ahead of Game 3:

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Ja Morant’s probable return

Still considered “questionable” until the hour before Game 2’s tipoff, the Morant situation is somewhat murky. 

There’s no bone or ligament injury here. Just some apparently significant soft-tissue bruising. But that “just” is highly significant for the dominant hand of a point guard whose primary strength is his ability to manipulate the ball. 

Morant’s “grip” and “confidence” were cited as primary areas to test before the game. While it was described as a “pain tolerance” situation, I think it can be more fairly considered an effectiveness question. 

This wasn’t a moral test of whether Morant could gut it out, but rather a question of whether he could be effective enough to help the team, or whether he would still be so limited as to hurt them. 

Morant and the team made their decision, and the Grizzlies won the game. Hard to second-guess that. 

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But if Morant was a game-time decision on Wednesday, it seems highly likely — if not nearly certain — that he will play on Saturday. 

This brings dual intrigue: Can Morant be himself, the ferocious attacker and sixth-sense playmaker who can create offense at any moment? And can he blend “himself” into a team that’s continued to play well without him, with a style that’s perhaps more balanced and defensively sound?

The Grizzlies’ highest hopes, this spring and beyond, still rest on having Morant at the helm. As long as Morant can pass the effectiveness threshold, the fog of reintegration is worth fighting through. 

One thing’s certain: The Grizzlies’ Game 2 win and Morant’s likely return have brought juice back to a series that risked ending with a whimper. Now, this weekend in Los Angeles will be momentous, and we know that a Game 5 homecoming is given whatever the outcome. 

 Surviving the big-man battle

The biggest disappointment of the series so far has to be the Grizzlies losing a home game in which Jackson played 37 minutes and scored 31 points. 

When were they going to get that again? 

Well, it turned out they got 39 minutes, and then some, in Game 2.

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Jackson started 1-6 from the floor and wasn’t as sharp offensively in Game 2, perhaps in part because the Lakers guarded him with Anthony Davis more and James less. 

But Jackson kept plugging, getting to the line 10 times and scoring 11 points in the second half to help ward off a Lakers comeback. And he was better defensively and on the boards in Game 2.

Through two games for Jackson: 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and 2.5 blocks on 55% shooting, including 3-7 from 3-point range. Most importantly: 38.5 minutes per game. 

He’s been fabulous. But it’s impossible to imagine he’ll play in the high-30s, minutes-wise, every night. 

Can the Grizzlies possibly win a game in this series when Jackson plays closer to 30? Or even less?

Tillman has to continue to matter. He doesn’t have to replicate his Game 2 production, but he does need to maintain his Game 2 assertiveness. 

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Good big-man play for the Grizzlies in this series, where they’re down two of their primary bigs in injured Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, is a necessary condition to winning. The problem remains: It’s probably not a sufficient one.

The Lakers won the game where Davis dominated and lost the game where he disappointed. And that trend may well continue.

The story of Davis’ NBA career is alternating dominance and disappointment. How much of each the Lakers get going forward could determine the series, and there might be a limit to how much the Grizzlies can control that. 

Waiting for the 3-point shots to fall

The key to the Grizzlies overcoming the Lakers’ apparent rebounding advantage was to win the 3-point battle, and that hasn’t quite happened. The Grizzlies have made one more 3-pointer through two games, but on 33% shooting to the Lakers’ 37%.

This, perhaps, is more a source of promise than concern. 

Bane is 4-16 from 3, Brooks 4-15 and Tyus Jones 1-7. Kennard is 4-8.

Bane and Jones should shoot better. The Grizzlies have to find a way to flip the 3-point attempt disparity between Brooks and Kennard. 

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Jackson — and Tillman! — could factor more here. 

The Grizzlies can shoot better from 3 in this series, and if and when they do it will move the needle. 

End of the rotation decisions

Both teams have played nine-man rotations in both games. When Morant couldn’t go in Game 2, that pushed John Konchar into the rotation for the Grizzlies. 

Jitty stamped his place in Grizzlies’ playoff lore with his block at the rim on Davis, but otherwise mostly soaked up minutes and gave the team some more ball-handling while down a point guard. 

If Morant is back in Los Angeles, the starting five along with Jones and Kennard is a given. Will Jenkins stick with Roddy and Santi Aldama to round out the rotation, or will Konchar encroach on them?

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Roddy seems to be holding up better than Aldama in each’s playoff debuts. Both players have knocked down some 3-pointers, a welcome sign of calm playoff nerves. And Aldama’s length is both badly needed and has helped on the boards. But Roddy’s strength has served him better defensively, and the matchups feel a little better for him in this series. He can get some reps on James. You’ll want to avoid having Aldama guard Davis at all costs. 

Given the need for length, I doubt Konchar usurps Aldama. But the series seems to be trending to Roddy as the eighth man in a rotation that could still shrink as the series deepens. Will Ziaire Williams get a chance at some point? As terrible as his second season was, his combination of athleticism and some playoff experience should keep him at least back of mind for coach Taylor Jenkins.