Calkins: How did Memphis win without Ja? Grizzlies doing Grizzly things.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Xavier Tillman Sr. shoots next to Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt on April 19, 2023. Tillman led the Grizzlies with 22 points. (Brandon Dill/AP)
Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
The Grizzlies didn’t have Ja Morant against the Lakers Wednesday. But they had John Konchar. And Xavier Tillman Sr. And a roster of players who did not wish to go quietly into the good night. So now, through sheer force of will, the series is tied at 1-1.
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