Ja Morant
Is anyone else sensing a pattern here? It will almost certainly not be the last time we witness Ja Morant put this Grizzlies team on his shoulders, but watching it against the Wizards on Monday reminded me of just how special a player this young man is. Down five heading into the 4th quarter, and by as much as 12 earlier in the match, it seemed as though it was all over but the shouting. Spoiler alert: Reader, it was not.
It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s SuperJa!
If you didn’t think some variation of that phrase last night during the 4th quarter of the Grizzlies @ Wizards game, do you even basketball?
Messed Around and Got a Triple-Double
Morant achieved his first ever NBA triple-double against the Wizards. When the dust had cleared, Morant led all scorers with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The Good
Ja Morant’s 4th quarter heroics combined with some lockdown defense won the game, as Memphis was able to hold Washington to just 14 points on 4-25 shooting in the final frame.
Brandon Clarke finished the night with 9 points and 6 rebounds, including a clutch 3-point make in the 4th that helped spur the team to victory.
The Grizzlies came up big in the 4th on both the offensive and defensive glass, with 6 offensive rebounds and 17 defensive rebounds. You did read that correctly, Memphis had 23 boards in just the 4th quarter. Most of those rebounds came courtesy of … you guessed it: Ja Morant.
Overall, the Grizzlies won the rebounding battle with 62 total boards to the Wizards 50.
The Bad and the Ugly
Once again, outside shooting woes plagued the squad, with just 5-of-32 makes from distance. This is the second game in a row where the Grizzlies have struggled to get outside shots to fall. Free throws were also a struggle as the Grizzlies went 15-of-25 from the charity stripe.
Turnovers remain a problem for Memphis as well, as does preventing their opponent from converting those turnovers into points. Case in point – the Wizards scored 18 points off the Grizzlies 15 turnovers.
The Grizzlies might have the highest assist percentage in the league, but the Wizards came out ahead with 25 assists on 35 made baskets, while Memphis had just 19 assists on 43 made baskets.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks both got into foul trouble early. Unfortunately, this is a familiar story from Jackson Jr. and Brooks this season, and an area I hope we will see some improvement on after the All-Star break.
By The Numbers:
Ja Morant – 27 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists
Kyle Anderson – 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Jaren Jackson Jr. – 14 points, 11 rebounds
Jonas Valanciunas – 8 points, 18 rebounds, 2 blocks
Tyus Jones- 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will return to their home court Wednesday night, as they face off against the Portland Trail Blazers in the last game before the All-Star break. Tip-off is at 7PM CST