New coach, same mentality for the Memphis Grizzlies.
When the game is on the line, the ball goes into the hands of Ja Morant.
The score was tied with 13.8 seconds left. Morant dribbled the full length of the floor. He was initially guarded by Davion Mitchell. The plan was to isolate any Heat player other than Mitchell or Bam Adebayo.
Eventually, Morant was isolated against Miami Heat rookie Kel’el Ware. He drove to the basket, turned around, kept his pivot and shot an 11-foot jumper. The ball rolled around the rim and fell as time expired. Memphis got a 110-108 win at the Kaseya Center on Thursday night.
Suddenly, there was relief. A trying stretch that included a coaching change and seven losses in eight games had the Grizzlies reeling. Morant was frustrated, but he wasn’t going to let those struggles carry over into Miami.
He finished the game with 30 points on 11-for-22 shooting.
Memphis (45-32) has five games remaining. Morant’s play on Thursday night keeps the Grizzlies’ hopes of securing a playoff spot in a good position.
Grizzlies call 12
Morant drove to the basket and missed a layup in the third quarter. Visibly frustrated, he complained to the officials and picked up a technical foul after shoving a Heat player. Minutes later, Morant picked up his fourth foul with 7:04 left in the third quarter.
Moments like those are where Morant has said he’s working to be better in composing himself, but it can be tough in battle. The star guard made up for his mistakes when Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo put him back in the game with 2:44 left in the third quarter and four fouls.
Morant scored 16 points in the third quarter added 11 more in the fourth. His final two came to seal the win.
“I’ve seen this a million times, and it was good to see,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said.
Villain Morant
The boos of the Miami crowd served as a motivational factor for Morant. He was happy to send the Heat fans home after the boos got louder in the second half, particularly after Morant’s technical foul.
“He thrives off that,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “I wouldn’t boo him.”
When asked about Jackson’s comments, Morant had a simple response.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t either,” Morant said.
The villain role wasn’t originally part of Morant’s story. However, in the past two years, he said he’s felt like that’s become his role.
“I’m kind of used it,” Morant said. “I was pretty much a villain for two years now. Every little thing — If somebody can say something negative about me, it’s ...
