Ja Morant has been on fire, ever since he returned from his 25-game suspension and on Tuesday led the Memphis Grizzlies to a 116-115 win in overtime over the New Orleans Pelicans. While his play should have been all that anyone spoke about after the game, he did a pistol and bazooka celebration at the end, which raised eyebrows.
AYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/hwVXbU5UY7
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) December 27, 2023
It is quite interesting that the official account for the Grizzlies posted this. Many fans pointed out, though, that it is part of a New Orleans dance that is rather popular on TikTok, and Morant was probably mocking the Pelicans with it.
Still, considering everything that has happened, you’d think he’d be a bit more self-aware. The optics are so bad, and even Gilbert Arenas was left disappointed with Morant, as he posted a video of a frustrated Andre Iguodala coaching up Andrew Wiggins.
pic.twitter.com/YDDmzjdVIT https://t.co/H14MtbI9C3
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) December 27, 2023
Earlier this month, Arenas had said Morant would be the next face of the NBA, but he might be considering changing his opinion now. Arenas, who had his own infamous gun incident back in the day, has stated previously that he’d be willing to help the Grizzlies star with his off-the-court issues if he ever reached out to him. Nothing of the sort appears to have happened, though.
Ja Morant Roasted The Pelicans After The Game
Getting back to the game, Morant put in an incredible performance, recording 31 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. After leading the Grizzlies to the win, Morant roasted the Pelicans on his way out of the tunnel.
“They thought it wasn’t going to happen again!”
“They thought it wasn’t going to happen again!”
Ja Morant feeling good after the Grizzlies’ OT win over the Pelicans 🔥
(via @DoingItDodson) pic.twitter.com/wRRDkTLkai
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 27, 2023
Ja has only played four games since he returned from the suspension and two of them have been against the Pelicans. This second outing proved to be somewhat similar to the first one, as New Orleans had a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter in both.
Morant recorded 27 points in the second half in that first meeting to complete a remarkable turnaround and he had 22 in the second half and overtime in this one. He is well and truly back and the Grizzlies might be as well.
Could The Grizzlies Make The Playoffs?
With the Grizzlies only managing to put up a 6-19 record in the 25 games that Morant missed, I didn’t think they had much of a chance of getting to the playoffs. Sure, they’d be much better with the 24-year-old in the lineup, but I felt they had dug themselves into too big of a hole.
That might not be the case, though. Memphis is 4-0 since Morant returned and is now up to 13th in the West with a 10-19 record. With the likes of the Phoenix Suns in free fall of late, the Grizzlies do have a bit of an opening to put themselves in the mix for those play-in spots.
They’re going to have to win games at a very high rate to make it in, though, but Morant would be backing them to do just that. He hasn’t missed a beat despite that long absence, as the two-time All-Star is averaging 28.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. Morant’s return has also galvanized the rest of the team, with Desmond Bane, in particular, thriving now that he has his backcourt partner next to him.
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