In his first game back from suspension, guard Ja Morant makes a buzzer-beating shot that lifts the Grizzlies over the Pelicans.
The Grizzlies and Pelicans game on Tuesday night was Ja Morant’s first time back on an NBA court in more than seven months.
Before the game, the 24-year-old All-Star guard leaned against the wall in the hallway to gather his thoughts.
It was the last stretch for his friends, and they were getting ready for the last huddle, but Morant needed a moment to himself first.
Ja Morant played his first game of the season to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. He had been suspended for 25 games for posting a picture of a gun on social media.
Morant and the Grizzlies played the Pelicans from New Orleans in front of a national TV crowd on TNT. Everyone was watching to see what the superstar center did.
Morant scored the game-winning basket by going one-on-one with Herb Jones, who is one of the best wing defenders in the NBA.
Morant really delivered when he made the game-winning shot that the end, which helped Memphis beat the Pelicans 115–113.
The buzzer-beating shot was the cherry on top of a great game for Morant, who scored 34 points, had eight assists, and grabbed six rebounds.
Morant drove for the middle section of the court, hit Jones with an awkward move to his right, and then jumped for a basket that just missed the basket as the game ended.
It was a great finish for Morant, and it could be the start of a big story about him changing. With 53.5 wins a year, the Grizzlies are one of the top clubs in the NBA for the past two years.
Since Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke are both hurt and Morant is out, the Grizzlies have been considered one of the worst teams at the NBA to start the season. They were 6-19 total going into the game.
It will be interesting to see if Memphis is capable of a late comeback to make it into the play-in game now that they’re up 1-0 with Morant. After the win, the Grizzlies are seven points behind the Phoenix Suns, who are the 10th seed.
The team knows they’ve got a chance for so long as Morant is present on the court, even though it will be hard to move up the rankings. A better return in court could not have been written.
The Memphis Grizzlies beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115–113 on Tuesday night. Ja Morant scored 34 points in his first game of the season and set up the game-winning dunk with seconds left.
The Grizzlies came in having lost five straight games and was 6-19 during Morant’s 25-game ban for his gun-related actions on social media.
They were behind by 24 points in the first half, but Morant’s inside basket alongside 1:22 left gave them the lead 113–111.
The Pelicans tied it up, and both teams missed 3-point shots before Morant sealed the deal at the buzzer. He and his friends celebrated under the basket, which stunned a lot of people in the crowd.
Morant said, “Man, I’ve been working hard.” It’s been eight months since I last played a game. I had quite a bit of chance to learn on my own.
I went through a lot for hard days. You see, basketball is my life. I love it, and it helps me feel better. I’m glad to be back.
Morant’s two-time All-Star coach, Taylor Jenkins, planned the game-winning play and said it was “a special play through a special player.”
Morant scored the most points in NBA history by a player who had been out for at least 25 games.
The Pelicans had won four straight games before Memphis beat them. Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24.
Zion Williamson only scored 13 points because he got called for too many fouls during the game, while Brandon Ingram made 34 points for New Orleans.
Supportive Pelicans fans booed Morant loudly during the pregame speeches and when he touched the ball for the first time.
Jensen said, “All I wanted was for himself to have fun.” “That’s how you would like Ja to play—fast and free, using her quick moves.”
The boos stopped as the game went on, but some traveling fans near a Memphis bench made their voices heard when Morant scored eight points in 1:20 of the third quarter, including two tough driving shots while being fouled.
Jayden Daniels, the winner of the LSU Heisman Trophy as quarterback, was there to watch Morant’s return. He sat in the top row next to Malik Nabers, the star receiver for the Tigers.