Quick Recap: Grizzlies win in Ja Morant’s return

The Memphis Grizzlies returned to action for a square-off against the Houston Rockets for their 1st matchup in 2 straight games in Memphis this week. The biggest news of the night: Ja Morant is back in the lineup after his 8-game suspension.

Both teams sprinted out of the gates to a 37-34 start. David Roddy cooked early offensively with 11 first-quarter points. The case for the past several games, Jaren Jackson Jr. had little resistance inside — and he also crammed a poster dunk on Jabari Smith Jr.’s head. Ja Morant came off the bench for his first game since his 8-game suspension with roughly 3 minutes to go in the quarter. Memphis showed their love:

A loud standing ovation for Ja Morant in his return to the floor. pic.twitter.com/0LrY2x5Afb

— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) March 23, 2023

Very quickly, Morant found Jackson for an alley oop:

trip + 12.
12 + trip. pic.twitter.com/DLZFapPHcJ

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 23, 2023

Ja Morant made a massive statement in the 2nd quarter with a poster dunk on Kenyon Martin Jr.:

levitating pic.twitter.com/0LrDXiXnVd

— Grizzly Bear Blues (@sbnGrizzlies) March 23, 2023

The Grizzlies got Kenneth Lofton Jr. going as well, as he erupted the crowd with a slam off a Ja feed and a coast-to-coast layup. The Grizzlies generated separation with outside shooting, spearheaded by Luke Kennard and Desmond Bane — who combined for 5 three’s in the quarter. After a halftime buzzer-beater from Kennard, the Grizzlies led 75-64 at half.

The Rockets came out of the gates humming to start the 2nd half, scoring 21 points in the first 6 minutes of the quarter. Jaren Jackson, once again, was a two-way machine — swatting shots, and scoring wherever he wanted inside. However, the Grizzlies couldn’t put the Rockets away, as Memphis led 101-96.

Again, Jackson started the 4th quarter putting on a dominant display. The Rockets, however, snagged a lead after a 3 from Kenyon Martin Jr. Ja Morant was brought in the game to close, serving as a basketball equivalent of Mariano Rivera. Desmond Bane tipped in a missed 3 from Kennard with 2:30 left to give the Grizzlies a 3-point lead. The next pay down, Morant took a charge on Alperen Sengun that was called a blocking foul. Taylor Jenkins successfully challenged the call — fouling Sengun (the Rockets’ best player) out of the game, and preventing the Rockets from making it a single possession game. Next play down, Bane scored a big bucket off a sweeping hook, then later had another tough finish — just a wonderful display on his growth as a finisher.

The Grizzlies sealed the game with free throws to give them a 130-125 win, making that their 7th win in their past 8 games.

Quick Takeaways

• Ja Morant, the man of the hour. Ja Morant made his return after a 2-and-a-half week absence from basketball with his 8-game suspension. He ended up coming off the bench, and he played the game at a smooth pace. He didn’t really rush or force anything, finding his game within the flow of the offense. He didn’t lack pizzazz though — throwing no-look dimes, alley oops, and audaciously punching in poster dunks. He also led the charge and kept Jackson and Bane involved down the stretch to close the game. As always, it’s great to have 12 back on the floor.
• Defense, just not locked in. The Grizzlies let the Rockets hang around because of their defense. This was a night they missed Dillon Brooks’ intensity, as they simply just lacked it tonight. There were too many easy opportunities in the paint, particularly for Sengun, Green, and Martin.
• TRIP. My goodness, Jaren Jackson Jr. is taking a huge offensive leap before our very eyes. Once again, he’s looking like the most dominant player on the floor on both sides of the basketball. He’s recognizing there isn’t a whole lot of resistance stopping him inside, and the Grizzlies are exploiting those mismatches. Jackson put together a 37-point, 10-rebound performance — becoming the 8th player in franchise history to have a game with at least 35+ points and 10+ rebounds. It’s all clicking at a perfect time for Jackson with the postseason on the horizon.

The Grizzlies play the Rockets once again Friday night.