Desmond Bane took one dribble across half court, glancing to his left and lobbing a ball over the Houston Rocket defense.
Ja Morant – playing his second game since returning from suspension – soared through the air, snatched the ball and jackhammered the ball through the rim.
“Hammer, nail, coffin, this baby is over,” Pete Pranica, Grizzlies TV play-by-play announcer, said. There were 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but with the Grizzlies leading by 39, Pranica had seen enough to call it.
The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Houston Rockets 151 – 114, winning their fifth straight game – their eighth win in nine games.
Luke Kennard – A+
Kennard was as close to perfect as one can be in a basketball game, finishing with 30 points and a franchise-record 10 threes on 11 attempts. The man was unconscious and the Forum may have a new fan-favorite. Not bad for a guy who only cost Danny Green’s contract and some second round picks.
Ja Morant – A+
Put simply – Ja Morant was back. He finished with 18 points and eight assists in just 19 minutes off the bench in his second post-suspension game, punctuating his night with the aforementioned alley-oop finish off the Bane assist.
Desmond Bane – A+
You might be thinking that I’m giving out too many perfect scores, but that’s what you get when you score 151 points. Bane scored 25 points in just 25 minutes, making five of his seven three-pointers.
Jaren Jackson Jr. – A+
Jaren’s streak of 20+ points scored came to an end, but had this game been competitive in the second half, he likely would’ve extended that streak. Still, 18 points, seven rebounds and four stocks (steals + blocks) in 25 minutes earn you a perfect grade.
Overall Grade – A+
In addition to Kennard’s record, the Grizzlies as a team set a franchise record with 25 made threes, tied a franchise record with their 32nd home win of the season and fell one point short of the franchise record for points scored in a single game. So, yeah, good win.