On some possessions with Morant, teammates stood around waiting for him to create instead of move around. They shot just 38.6% from the field and were held under 50% shooting in the paint for the third consecutive game. Poor shootingįor the second consecutive game, the Grizzlies couldn't hit shots and they looked even more out of rhythm than Sunday in their loss to the Blazers. Gilgeous-Alexander had a team-high 23 points while Giddey had 19 points, 11 assists and five rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey didn't play in the first meeting and they made their presence felt this time. That sequence essentially cost the Grizzlies the game. On the next possession, Gilgeous-Alexander stole a pass from Morant which led to two free throws. After Kyle Anderson missed a jump shot, Giddey found an open Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on an inbounds pass for a dunk. Rookie Josh Giddey gave them a 96-95 lead on a layup with 50 seconds left. But it was the final minute that showed how bad the Thunder wanted this win. The Grizzlies led by 39-23 with 8:32 in the second quarter but the Thunder (10-19) stayed resilient, climbed back and led 74-72 after the third quarter. He finished with 16 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals. That was understandable and in the fourth, he tried to take over more. Morant became more of a scorer in the third with eight points but he was content to feel the game out. He had six assists to two shot attempts in the first half and ended the second quarter with an assist to Desmond Bane on a 3-pointer. Jots specialty is finding types of keywords on web pages like people, companies, countries and many others. Morant looked to facilitate early and not force the action. Enter a search term (like 'iPhone') I Like AskJot.
Here's what we learned from the Grizzlies' first two-game losing streak in nearly a monthīANE MIP: Memphis Grizzlies' Desmond Bane creating strong case for NBA Most Improved Playerģ0-GAME CHECK-IN: What I like, don't like about the Memphis Grizzlies after 30 games Patient Ja Morant in his return They came out inspired and intense while the Grizzlies look stagnant at times.ĭespite owning the worst record in the Western Conference, the Thunder kept it close then scored two late baskets in the final minute to pull away for a 102-99 win against the Grizzlies (19-13). The Memphis Grizzlies enjoyed his return but Oklahoma City Thunder also came back eager for revenge from losing by an NBA-record 73 points on Dec. Morant broke out his signature "Ja-ggles" celebration as FedExForum fans cheered and roared in his first game since spraining his left ankle Nov. In the second quarter, Morant tossed a half-court bounce pass in stride to Xavier Tillman Sr. It didn't take long for Ja Morant to announce he was back Monday after missing 12 games. View Gallery: Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder