Ja Morant Stats Tonight: How did the Grizzlies superstar fare against Cleveland Cavaliers?
Ja Morant led the visiting Memphis Grizzlies to a showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The superstar point guard hoped to carry his team to win to end a five-game road swing with a 3-2 record. A victory by the Grizzlies would also push them to a 1-0 lead in the season series.
G12 had an impactful start versus the Cavaliers. He opened the game with a nifty pass to Jaylen Wells for a layup before scoring a 12-footer two possessions later. Morant finished the period with eight points and two assists.
Ja Morant sat on the bench to start the second quarter. He returned halfway through the period to relieve Zach Edey. The point guard missed all went 0-for-3 but scored two free throws and dished out two assists. Memphis ended the first half trailing the home team 62-56.
Morant again went 0-for-3 in the third quarter but did his damage as a playmaker with five assists. He also had another pass to Vince Williams Jr. that the backup forward converted to two free throws to end the period. The Grizzlies faced a 93-88 deficit entering the fourth quarter.
The Memphis Grizzlies tried to rally in the fourth quarter behind Ja Morant, who put up 11 points and one assist. Morant's last points, two free throws with 15.1 seconds remaining, pushed Memphis to within 127-123, but the Cavaliers held on for a 129-123 win.
Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies play their next five games at home
A 3-2 record following a five-game road trip dropped the Grizzlies record to 37-20. The loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers allowed the Denver Nuggets to tie Ja Morant's team for second place in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies will try to get out of the logjam at second place in their next five games, which will be at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. They began the homestand on Tuesday against the struggling Phoenix Suns. They host the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and the Atlanta Hawks.
On Mar. 5, they face the OKC Thunder in another highly anticipated game.