Ja Morant on Tuesday made a scintillating return from a 25-game suspension, driving for a game-winning layup as time expired to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 115-113 NBA victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The basket capped a 34-point, eight-assist, six-rebound performance from Morant, who was suspended by the league for the first 25 games of the season after a pair of social media posts in which he displayed guns.
He looked a little rusty to start, and a little weary at the finish, but ultimately Morant delivered everything the Grizzlies could have hoped for and more.
Photo: AP
“I ain’t played a game in eight months,” he told broadcaster TNT. “Had a lot of time ... a lot of hard days where I went through it, but you know, basketball is my life, what I love, therapeutic for me and I’m just excited to be back.”
The Pelicans, led by 34 points from Brandon Ingram, were up 60-41 at halftime, but the Grizzlies hit back in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 10 entering the final period.
With 1 minute, 20 seconds left to play, Morant connected with a floater that put them up 111-109 — Memphis’ first lead since the first quarter.
It was tied at 113-113 when Morant grabbed the rebound of a C.J. McCollum miss and after a timeout took the ball up the court and sliced into the lane for the game-winner.
“I felt like it was the perfect ending, perfect day, being able to come back and play and also deliver a game winner for us,” he said.
Morant heard plenty of boos in the early going in New Orleans, but he had support around the league, including a social media post from Lakers superstar LeBron James.
“12 welcome back!!” James wrote shortly before tip-off. “Go be GREAT again!!”
After the game, James posted: “12!!!!That’s All.”
In Oregon, DeAndre Ayton had a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Anfernee Simons had 23 points and seven rebounds, as the Portland Trail Blazers erased a 22-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 109-104 to snap a seven-game losing streak.
The loss for the Suns was their fifth in seven games. Phoenix’s Kevin Durant led all scorers with 40 points, while Devin Booker had 26 points and seven assists.
Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors edged the Boston Celtics 132-126 in an overtime thriller in San Francisco, while Damian Lillard scored a season-high 40 points — an NBA milestone — in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 132-119 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and seven in overtime to power the Warriors’ comeback from a 17-point deficit.
A Curry three-pointer with 1:36 left in regulation knotted the score at 121-121.
Both teams missed chances as they went to the extra session, in which the Warriors grabbed the lead on Jonathan Kuminga’s steal and dunk and never trailed.
Curry said the gritty win was just what the Warriors needed.
“We want to be a playoff contender and these are the type of games that show us that we can be that,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep putting them together.”
Additional reporting by AP
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