Ja Morant returned from a shoulder injury on Thursday against the Houston Rockets, but the Memphis Grizzlies lost 119-115. Morant had 27 points in his first game back, but how did he perform on Saturday when the Grizzlies visited the Minnesota Timberwolves?
Morant finished with just 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, but the Grizzlies still pulled off a 127-125 win. Morant scored the final four points for Memphis to give his team the victory. He did not have it for this game until the final minute.
Jaren Jackson Jr. provided plenty of firepower with 33 points and eight rebounds, while Brandon Clarke, Santi Aldama and Luke Kennard scored double figures off the bench. Desmone Bane added 19 points as the Grizzlies returned to the win column.
•
Here are Ja Morant’s stats for the game:
How did Ja Morant perform against the Minnesota Timberwolves?
Ja Morant was held to just two points in the first quarter, not being his usual aggressive self. Zach Edey stole the spotlight for Memphis, with Scotty Pippen Jr. giving the Grizzlies a 35-33 lead at the end of the period. Edey had eight points and three rebounds.
In the second quarter, Morant made his first field goal at the 6:33 mark. It was a reverse layup to give the Grizzlies a 48-43. It remained a back-and-forth contest, with Jaren Jackson exploding for 18 points in the first half as Morant went missing.
The third quarter was no different for Ja Morant, continuing to struggle with his shot after scoring just two points in the period. His body language was not good late in the quarter and heading into the fourth.
However, his teammates picked up the slack led by Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, who kept the team afloat. Morant knew he had to contribute, taking over late with the Grizzlies down 125-123 with around a minute remaining.
The former No. 2 pick tied the game with a tough layup with 53.9 seconds remaining. After the Timberwolves failed to regain the lead, Morant saved a broken play by hitting an insane floater over Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert with 18.9 seconds left.
With their latest win, the Grizzlies improved to 25-14 for the season. They are still the No. 3 team in the Western Conference standings behind the OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets.
Ja Morant proved that he was still the main man for Memphis even if he wasn’t feeling his shot. He came up clutch and took over when his team needed him the most. He remains one of the best players in the NBA, hitting two difficult shots to earn another win.
Why did you not like this content?
Cancel
Submit
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Quick Links
More from Sportskeeda
Edited by Juan Paolo David
