Ja Morant did not disappoint in his return to the NBA after spending the last 25 games suspended due to his flashing a gun on Instagram Live. He’s left the negativity of the last 6 months behind by dropping 34 points along with the game-winning buzzer-beater to carry the Grizzlies to a 115-113 win over the Pelicans, overcoming a 24-point deficit.
Fans and players are going crazy for the same.
JA WINS IT AT THE BUZZER 🚨 https://t.co/2g7lKLKvwL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 20, 2023
LeBron James was among the first to react, continuing to show support for Morant.
1️⃣2️⃣!!!! That’s All 😤😤😤😤
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 20, 2023
Fellow suspended NBA star Draymond Green also sent his well-wishes for Morant.
Tough Ja!!
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) December 20, 2023
Fans joked about Morant coming up this clutch in his first game back with a classic scene from Pulp Fiction.
Grizzlies: “We need you to hit a game winner in your first game back”
Ja Morant: pic.twitter.com/WEyZVCFnMp
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) December 20, 2023
Fans thought that Morant hitting a game-winner was poetic.
https://twitter.com/bennyburnerchip/status/1737307564680053137
Even Bill Simmons, someone who’s been critical of Morant over the last year couldn’t help but marvel at this performance.
That’s a great basketball moment right there. Nice work Ja Morant!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) December 20, 2023
More fans couldn’t get over the perfect story of Morant coming back from a harsh 25-game suspension to hit a buzzer-beater for the win in his first game back.
Ja Morant came back and hit the buzzer beater
THIS SHIT IS POETIC BRUH
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) December 20, 2023
Fans are already using ‘parade inside my city’ jokes to celebrate Morant’s shot.
Ja morant really hit a buzzer beater to beat to the pelicans in his 1st game back 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/1EFmWt0nTO
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) December 20, 2023
Many fans took this opportunity to bring up Stephen Curry for some reason, calling Morant more clutch than Curry.
Ja morant first game back and already more clutch than curry pic.twitter.com/9KoYi4z0Zi
— Wizely 🫥🌙 (@Wizelycook) December 20, 2023
The Grizzlies looked like the team we’ve seen go 6-19 through the first 25 games for the first half of this contest. The second quarter saw the Grizz fall back by 24 points, though they came into halftime with a 19-point deficit that they worked down over the final two quarters. Morant scored 34 points with six rebounds and eight assists, having as good a game as he would’ve hoped coming off a 25-game layoff.
The Pelicans let this game slip out of their fingers, and Zion Williamson can get a lion-share of the blame after disappearing tonight despite the weak Grizzlies frontcourt. His 13 points weren’t enough next to CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, which led to the loss.
Ja Morant Ready To Pull Off The Unthinkable
The Grizzlies playoff chances look dead by the time tonight’s game started. A record of 7-19 is not one we see teams overcome, with even last year’s Lakers not falling behind by more than 10 games. The 10th seed in the West projects to reach at least 44 wins, so expecting the Grizzlies to keep pace by winning 37 of their remaining 46 games this season is a tall ask.
Regardless, Morant didn’t overcome everything he did over the last six months to just be on a tanking team the second he returns. He’ll try his best to help the Grizzlies reach the same level as teams like the Warriors and Suns ahead of them. Even then, the Warriors are the 11th seed and the Suns are the 10th seed that the Grizz want to knock off.
Morant put up All-NBA caliber stats last year, averaging 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. However, his off-court issues meant that he would receive a late-season eight-game suspension which killed his chances at making the squad. He can’t make it this year either due to the 65-game requirement the NBA has put in place.
The only thing Morant has to focus on this season is himself, but based on his performance tonight, he’s going to try his best to win as much as he can and make a miraculous run to the playoffs.
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