Ja Morant leads Memphis to its sixth straight win in his return to the starting lineup … after the controversial NBA star served an eight-game suspension for waving a gun at a Denver strip club
Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return to the Memphis starting lineup and the Grizzlies defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-119 on Sunday night to extend the longest active winning streak in the NBA.
Desmond Bane added 25 points for Memphis, giving up two baskets in the fourth quarter after Atlanta got within one.
Memphis (47-27) is second in the Western Conference despite a 15-22 record on the road. Back-to-back wins away from Memphis provide hope that the Grizzlies are gaining crucial late-season momentum in road games.
The six-game winning streak began with a 126-120 overtime win at San Antonio on March 17. A win at Atlanta (37-38) was “huge,” according to Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
Another stellar performance from the talented PG Ja Morant led the Grizzlies to a sixth straight win
Morant recorded 27 points along with six assists as Memphis defeated the Atlanta Hawks.
After the great performance, Morant gifted Grammy Award-winning artist ‘Lil Baby’ his T-shirt.
“We haven’t really been getting it going on the road,” Jackson said.
Morant received a standing ovation from the Atlanta crowd during pregame introductions.
A large contingent from Atlanta’s well-known rap community attended the game and Morant was seen gifting Grammy Award-winning artist ‘Lil Baby’ his T-shirt.
As Morant signed the jersey, Lil Baby was seen singing ‘it’s a parade in my town, yeah’, the NBA YoungBoy lyric that has become a rallying cry for the Grizzlies due to Morant’s affinity for singing them.
He came off the bench in his first two games after serving an eight-game NBA suspension for posting a video showing him waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club while on Instagram Live.
After the incident, Morant took time off the team to check into a counseling center in Florida to learn ways to better manage his stress.
The NBA still suspended Morant eight games for “league-respectful conduct,” even though both police and the NBA’s investigation found he did not violate league rules or Colorado state law.
Morant’s minutes were still closely watched by coach Taylor Jenkins, who had the two-time All-Star on the bench early in the fourth quarter when the Hawks made a charge.
Saddiq Bey’s three-point play for Atlanta cut the Grizzlies’ lead to 98-87 before Bane responded with a jumper. AJ Griffin’s jumper got the Hawks close again before Bane answered with another basket.
Morant was controversially suspended for ‘conduct detrimental to the league’ for the incident
“We got stuck in a place trying to figure out Ja’s minutes,” Jenkins explained.
Jenkins said before the game that he hoped to keep Morant’s minutes in the ‘top 20.’ Morant played 29 minutes.
Minutes later, Bane’s 3-pointer gave Memphis a 110-103 lead. The Hawks made one last push, cutting the Grizzlies’ lead to 122-119 on De’Andre Hunter’s 3-pointer.
After a Tyus Jones free throw extended the lead to four points, Atlanta called a timeout with 11.6 seconds remaining.
Trae Young, who led Atlanta with 28 points, missed a short jumper before Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 3-pointer from the corner was no good either.