Ja Morant is back. So that no one is left in doubt, the Memphis star scored 34 points this Tuesday in what was his first game in eight months. The point guard has served a 25-game suspension imposed by the NBA for carrying a gun. The return of the player has been key for the Grizzlies to return to winning ways after a streak of five consecutive losses. Tonight they beat the New Orleans Pelicans of Zion Williamson, Morant's draft partner in 2019, 115-113 as visitors.
Morant, 23, scored the game-winning basket when it was tied at 113 with 10 seconds left. The point guard showed his usual coolness and determination to make the point that sends everyone to the locker room. It was not noted that this was his first game since late April, when Memphis was defeated by the Lakers in the playoffs. Although he missed all five three-pointers he attempted tonight, he made 12 of 24 and was especially confident penetrating and attacking the paint. That's how he won the game.
“I've been doing my homework,” Morant said after the game. “I haven't played in eight months and in this period I have had a lot of time to learn. There were many very hard days, but I have no doubt that basketball is my life. “It’s therapy for me,” added the two-time All Star.
New Orleans fans greeted Morant with boos. It was a cold welcome for the point guard, who was punished by the League in June for appearing with a gun in a video posted to Instagram. The NBA imposed an exemplary punishment on the star, who missed about a third of the season, which began at the end of October. The severity of the penalty was for repeat offenders. On March 4 he had shown a gun in a live video on his social media account, where he is followed by eight million people. He provoked unison condemnation from the American basketball world. Morant received an eight-game suspension on that occasion.
The boos for Morant faded as he warmed up. At the start of the third quarter he scored eight points in less than 90 seconds. The spectacle attracted stars from the Louisiana university team, one of the best in college football, to the stadium. Memphis was behind on the scoreboard during the first half of the game. They lost by 24 points. In the second, Morant made it clear why he has been missed so much by his team, sunk at the bottom of the West with seven wins and 19 losses, only above Portland and Utah. Jaren Jackson scored 24 points and Desmond Bane 21, to collaborate in the victory.
The Pelicans, who had gone four games without a loss, remain in seventh position. This Tuesday they let go of a 19-point lead with which they started the second half of the game. Brandon Ingram had a big night with 34 points. Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas scored 22 and grabbed 14 boards for the locals and CJ McCollum scored six of nine triples to add 18 points. Zion Williamson, the number one in the draft in 2019, was left scoring only 13 points in 25 minutes of play. His time on the floor was limited by foul trouble. But tonight it was Ja Morant.
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