ICYMI: Ja Morant's daughter Kaari adorably waves to the crowd in father's arms, points to Ja's uniform being held by the fans
The Ja Morant family makes headlines even when Ja Morant isn't playing. Even with the first-time All-Star sitting out against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, the Memphis Grizzlies continued their winning ways. The Grizzlies rolled to an easy 127-102 victory at the FedExForum in Memphis to grab their 52nd win.
Full recap from @GrizzOnBally127-102 victory for the @memgrizz over the Bucks tonight.
Melton: 24 pts
Bane: 20 pts, 5 ast
Brooks: 19 pts
JJJ: 16 pts, 2 blk
Jones: 13 pts, 10 ast
Anderson: 9 pts
Tillman: 8 pts
Team: 10 stl, 9 blk
馃摵 猬囷笍 Full recap from @GrizzOnBally https://t.co/ucj1N1n7eD
Morant skipped the game, the fourth consecutive contest he has missed, as he is dealing with a knee injury. However, Morant was there, sitting on the sideline to cheer his teammates as they dominated the 2021 NBA champions.
TRIP ON YA HEAD TOP 馃 https://t.co/QqRFR11m0V
The best moment of the night, though, came after the Grizzlies' impressive 25-point victory. Morant carried his daughter Kaari around FedExForum in his arms to much cheer, love and appreciation. Kaari delighted the home team's fans by waving at them. She even picked out her dad's jersey from among the ones being held up by Memphis fans.
Ja & Kaari 馃挄
Kaari waves to the crowd and picks out her dad's jersey as they walk by in Memphis. https://t.co/YMU43QFZMR
Kaari was rewarded for her cuteness as she got a streamer on her way out of the arena.
a streamer for the road @JaMorant 馃挋 https://t.co/LfnxgRUHbG
The Memphis Grizzlies are 17-2 without Ja Morant this season
Ja Morant has put up MVP numbers this season. The 22-year-old is averaging a career-best 27.6 points per game while also putting up 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game in just his third NBA season. The Grizzlies (52-23) have an impressive 35-21 record with Morant in the lineup.
a dub. https://t.co/IIWcrmOswn
However, the reverse is also true for Memphis. The Grizzlies are winning even without the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year. Counting their latest win against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Grizzlies are now 17-2 with Morant sitting out. A few of those 17 wins have come against quality opponents like the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets.
Other Memphis players who have had terrific seasons are Desmond Bane and Jarren Jackson Jr. Bane has improved his scoring average from 9.2 ppg in his rookie season to 18.2 ppg this season. Jackson, who leads the league in blocks per game, is a contender for Defensive Player of the Year.
Important contributions have come from Dillon Brooks, De'Anthony Melton and Steven Adams as well.
The Grizzlies are second in the Western Conference. They are three-and-a-half games ahead of the Golden State Warriors. Should they maintain that lead through the end of the regular season, the Grizzlies will have the benefit of home-court advantage in at least the first two rounds of the playoffs.