Ja Morant Stats Tonight: How did the Grizzlies superstar fare against OKC Thunder? (Feb. 8)
Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies hosted the OKC Thunder on Saturday. The home team, which lost 130-106 in the first meeting in late December, hoped to get revenge.
Morant, however, was shackled by the Thunder's top-ranked defense. The explosive guard went 0-for-5 in the first quarter. Oklahoma dominated on both ends and raced to a 34-26 lead at the end of the first quarter.
G12 fared a little better in the second period. He finished the quarter with a 1-for-5 clip and hit one free throw. Morant's plus/minus -19 net rating in the first half was the worst among the starters. Oklahoma was even more dominant and took a 69-52 halftime lead.
Ja Morant opened the Memphis Grizzlies' 31-point third-quarter performance with a 25-footer. He missed his next two attempts to finish with three points in the period. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins took him out with 4:28 remaining in the quarter.
Morant had his best stretch in the final quarter. He had nine points and one assist as the Grizzlies desperately tried to turn around the game. The OKC Thunder doused every rally attempt with timely stops and baskets from Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. Memphis lost 125-112 to trail the season series 0-2.
Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had rough-shooting nights in their marquee duel
The marquee matchup heading into the game was the first head-to-head duel between Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season. Morant sat on the bench in the first Grizzlies-Thunder meeting in late December. During that game, SGA lit up the Grizzlies for 35 points on 14-19 shooting.
The highly-anticipated shootout did not happen on Saturday. Morant went 1-for-10 in the first half for four points. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the first two quarters on 4-for-14 shooting for 17 points. The difference-maker was the Oklahoma superstar's free-throw parade, where he went 7-for-7 compared to Morant's 1-2 clip.
The trend continued in the second half where both stars continued to be inefficient. It wasn't until the fourth quarter that Morant improved. He went 4-for-6 in mostly strong drives to the basket. The star guard's effort had little effect as the Thunder kept them at bay behind Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams.
Ja Morant finished the game 6 of 19, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 8-for-26. The two will meet again on Mar. 5 in Memphis.