Watch: Ja Morant and Anthony Davis' trash talk goes viral during Mavs-Grizzlies 8th seed battle

Ja Morant and Anthony Davis had some choice words for each other as the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks battled for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference.

The intensity of the game was on full display early, with Morant and Davis exchanging words just five minutes in. The Grizzlies star approached the Mavs big man after being fouled by P.J. Washington on a layup attempt at the 7:08 mark.

A clip of the exchange quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter), with ESPN sharing a version that included audio.

"I'll guard you though," Davis said.

"Yeah, come on," Morant responded.

"You know I'm going nowhere," Davis said.

"Come on," Morant said repeatedly.

The Grizzlies held a 39-24 lead over the Mavericks at the end of the first quarter. Davis and Morant led their teams in the period.

Morant had a game-high 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals on 3-for-7 shooting, including 1-for-2 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Davis had eight points and two rebounds on 3-for-7 shooting.

The winner of Friday's game will move on to the playoffs to take on the NBA-best OKC Thunder in the first round. Game 1 of that series will be at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Anthony Davis and Ja Morant deliver impressive performances in first play-in game

On Tuesday, in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in matchup, the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies lost 121-116 to the seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors.

Morant scored 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting, while Desmond Bane led Memphis with 30 points and six rebounds. Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler combined for 75 points in the win.

Although the Grizzlies couldn't secure a playoff berth Tuesday, they had another shot by facing the Dallas Mavericks, who won in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game against the Sacramento Kings.

Dallas eliminated Sacramento 120-106 behind Davis’ 27 points and nine rebounds. As the No. 10 seed, the Mavericks needed two consecutive road wins to reach the playoffs.

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