WATCH: Ja Morant pushes LeBron James after Lakers star gets up in his face following emphatic windmill dunk
LeBron James closed the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies on Friday with an emphatic steal and breakaway windmill slam, followed by the LA Lakers star taunting Ja Morant. The latter, out for the season, was among the 13 absentees on the Grizzlies' bench for the contest. After James made the play, he landed in front of Morant after that dunk and flexed in his face.
Morant instantly pushed the four-time MVP as James jogged back in reverse to the Lakers bench, with Memphis calling a timeout. The moment went viral online in the aftermath of Morant's reaction. Here's the clip:
The Lakers led 121-118, and the Grizzlies had the possession with seven seconds left. However, a GG Jackson miss knocked the ball out of the paint. James tracked it all along. Despite one of the Grizzlies players reaching the ball first, James placed himself in a passing lane to grab the easy steal and finish the game with a windmill slam.
Memphis Grizzlies make LeBron James and Co sweat in must-win contest
LeBron James and the LA Lakers have been in a must-win situation for the past two weeks. They are battling to secure a favorable seeding in the play-in tournament. The Lakers were seemingly on the rise. However, back-to-back losses against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors derailed their pursuit of a top-six finish.
The hopes for an eighth-seed finish remain alive, but the Lakers had to win their last two remaining games. Their chances of winning against the shorthanded Grizzlies nearly went up in smoke after the youngsters gave James and Co. a run for their money. It was expected to be a blowout in LA's favor, but the Grizzlies kept it a neck-and-neck contest throughout 48 minutes.
GG Jackson produced another solid effort with 31 points, shooting seven triples, while ex-Laker Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jake LaRavia dropped 28 each. The Grizzlies even led by nine points late in the third. However, LeBron James willed the Lakers to a win from that point.
He had 12 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter. James also made four free throws and closed the game with the steal and windmill slam, handing the Lakers a five-point advantage with five seconds left.
The Lakers improved to 46-35, momentarily grabbing the eighth seed. They could keep hold of it if the Warriors lose to the Pelicans, while the Kings drop one to the Kings on Friday.