Ja Morant’s second-half heroics outshined Kevin Durant’s 35-point effort as the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a slow start to defeat the Suns 120-118 at the FedExForum on Monday, March 10.
Morant sank a midrange shot over Suns forward Royce O’Neale with 36.2 seconds remaining to give Memphis a 118-115 lead. The shot put the game out of reach for the Suns, whose defense struggled to contain Memphis after a fast start.
“We’ve been there before. We’re starting to find our rhythm and flow at the end of games. We know what we want and what we want to get to. We’re real confident,” said teammate Desmond Bane.
Both teams traded scores in the following possessions. Suns guard Devin Booker made a put-back shot off a missed three-point attempt by Royce O’Neale, followed by a pair of free throws by Memphis guard Cam Spencer. The final score came on a Durant three-point shot.
Memphis entered the final quarter with a 95-90 lead.
Morant scored 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting to lead Memphis. Many of his scores came from around the basket in the form of post plays, layups, and breakaway dunks. He also dished out a game-high 12 assists, including seven in the third quarter.
The Grizzlies’ table-setter spread the ball around to several players.
One beneficiary was new teammate Marvin Bagley. The two teamed up on several alley-oops. Bagley, a trade deadline acquisition, was drafted by the Sacramento Kings as the second overall pick in the 2018 draft. Since then, Bagley has developed a reputation as a journeyman, and Memphis is his fourth team. He finished with nine points and five rebounds off the bench.
Following a successful attempt with 4:11 remaining in the third quarter, the pair went back to the well the next play. However, Morant’s pass attempt turned into a successful midrange shot as it went through the basket, giving the Grizzlies an 85-79 lead.
“You don’t put the work in only in the game. It starts with practice. I know what those guys are capable of. Whatever I can do to instill confidence into my teammates, I’m going to do that,” said Morant.
After starting the second half with a 59-57 deficit, backup big man Jay Huff sank a three-pointer to give Memphis its first lead, 63-61, at the 10:40 mark of the third quarter. Huff made 4 of 8 from deep on the way to 14 points as a starter.
Huff replaced rookie center Zach Edey in the lineup, as Edey sat out with ankle soreness. Edey was joined on the sidelines by All-Star power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who is also nursing an ankle injury.
The Grizzlies found a little more daylight on another three-pointer midway through the period. GG Jackson’s triple extended Memphis’ third-quarter lead to 71-66 with 7:20 remaining. A few possessions later, the rangy backup guard deflected a pass that was scooped up by Morant, who lobbed a bounce pass back to Jackson for a dunk. The two-man play gave the Grizzlies a 76-68 lead with 6:29 remaining in the third quarter.
Jackson scored 14 points after getting a starting nod. The second-year player is averaging 8.1 points in 22 games this season after an extended absence with an injury.
Desmond Bane also scored 10 points as a starter. Meanwhile, three Grizzlies bench players also reached double figures in scoring. Cam Spencer led reserves with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-7 from deep. Meanwhile, Lamar Stephens and Scottie Pippen Jr. chipped in 13 points apiece.
After falling behind 29-6 in the first quarter, Memphis battled back to a 59-57 deficit to end the first half.
When the Suns weren’t in the lead, Durant kept them in the contest throughout. The perennial All-Star hit 11 of 24 from the field. However, he grew more efficient the further away he was from the basket, hitting 7 of 9 from deep. He was joined by fellow All-Star Devin Booker, who added 26 points in the losing effort.
The win extends the Grizzlies’ winning streak to three games after starting the month with a four-game losing streak. Memphis improves to 41-24, a half-game behind the third-place Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings. Phoenix falls to 30-35. At 11th place in the standings, they are outside a top-10 finish required to make the NBA play-in tournament.
Memphis will host the Utah Jazz at the FedExForum on Wednesday, March 12, to begin a four-game home series. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
