Grizzles' Ja Morant hits buzzer-beater to beat Pelicans in first game back from suspension
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant's presence was felt in his return to the basketball court on Tuesday as he hit a buzzer-beater to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-113 in his first game of the season after serving a 25-game suspension.
With the game tied 113-113 with 9.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Morant drove to the cup and sunk a floater over the Pelicans' Herbert Jones as time expired to give the Grizzlies the win — a "perfect ending" to a "perfect day." The victory ended a five-game skid for Memphis.
When asked to explain the game-winning shot, Morant simply said, "Call 12," referring to his jersey number.
“I’m a dog. I put work in day(-in and day)-out," said Morant, who finished with 34 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals. "I been putting work in, man. I ain’t play a game in eight months. Had a lot of time, you know, learn myself. Lot of hard days where I went through it. But, you know, basketball is my life, what I love, (it's) therapeutic for me."
The Grizzlies trailed the Pelicans by as many as 24 points before Morant went to work in the second half. He scored 27 of his 34 points in the second half: 13 points in the third quarter and 14 points in the fourth quarter, including the buzzer-beater.
After the ball went in, Morant's teammates rushed to his side to celebrate with him. Morant's father, Tee Morant, celebrated the shot court-side. "I’m just excited to be back," said Ja Morant, who went 12-of-24 from the field (0-for-5 from three) on the night.
The Grizzlies outscored the Pelicans 74-53 in the second half. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished the game with 24 points and six rebounds, while Desmond Bane added 21 points and five assists.
“It felt different out there, having our guy back, our leader,” Bane said. “He does so much for us on the court, of course, and the spirit and the energy he plays with is infectious.”
The Pelicans' Brandon Ingram had a team-high 34 points, six assists and four rebounds. Jonas Valančiūnas had a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Zion Williamson finished with 13 points and three rebounds.
The Grizzlies started the season 6-19 in the absence of Morant, who served a 25-game suspension after brandishing a firearm on Instagram Live, his second incident with a gun in two months. He said he felt some "guilt" for letting his teammates down.
"Yes, it's definitely some guilt in that," Morant said last week in his first public comments since his suspension. "Obviously I'm not on the floor. Nobody like losing. ... I take full responsibility of that. Even though I'm not on the floor, decisions I've made didn't allow me to be out there to go to battle with my team."
Contributing: Associated Press