Watch Ja Morant score 31, lead Grizzlies past Pelicans in overtime

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Memphis Grizzlies v New Orleans Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ja Morant let out a triumphant yell as he threw down an alley-oop dunk in overtime that punctuated his third 30-point performance in just the fourth game of his return to the resurgent Memphis Grizzlies.

Morant scored 31 points and the Grizzlies defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 116-115 in overtime on Tuesday night to improve to 4-0 since Morant made his season debut in same arena a week earlier.

“Obviously excited to be back,” Morant said. “But being able to come back and win four games now and continue to take this momentum to the next game, and the next day, is bigtime for us.”

Desmond Bane scored 27, including a 3 in the final minute of regulation that helped Memphis erase a 15-point, second-half deficit. Bane also made what turned out to be a clinching free throw to give the Grizzlies a 4-point lead with 4 seconds left in overtime.

Memphis also won with defense, finishing with 17 blocked shots – five by Xavier Tillman – and 10 steals.

“We know what we’re capable of,” Morant said of the way his team once again erased a double-digit deficit and closed out a victory on the road. “We told ourselves, we’ve been here before. We were very confident.”

Indeed, they had been there before, in Morant’s season debut on Dec. 19 against the same team and on the same court. The Grizzlies trailed by 24 in the second quarter of that game and by 19 in the second half.

Morant scored 34 that game, capped by his game-winning floater over a crowd of defenders as time expired.

He’s averaged 28.8 points since completing a 25-game NBA suspension stemming from his antics with guns on social media. And earlier on Tuesday was named the Western Conference Player of the Week.

“I’d average 40 if I’d make some 3s,” Morant said with a grin after missing six of his 7 attempts from deep. “A lot of credit to my teammates. Obviously, without them on the floor, I won’t have the gaps I have, the lanes I have and them always telling me to be aggressive allows me to go out and deliver for us.”

The Grizzlies had gone 6-19 before Morant returned to the lineup.

Jaren…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-ja-morant-score-31-124200325.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2023-12-27 12:42:00

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