Ja Morant Leads the Grizzlies to a Win over the Lakers
Ja Morant was sensational in Wednesday night’s 104-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Lebron James managed to pad the boxscore, finishing with 37 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win.
Morant led the way for Memphis with 41 points and ten rebounds, including six three-pointers which was a new career-high for him. Los Angeles held multiple double digit leads for large portions of the game, but the Grizzlies kept battling and gave themselves a chance to win late.
Memphis was without several key players, which led to some unique rotations, but the Grizzlies knocked down key shots down the stretch to earn the victory. Everyone who came in made an impact, including Shaq Buchanan earned some actual minutes as the team was without the services of the main guards they typically rely on.
Morant’s three-point shooting significantly boosted the offense as Memphis didn’t have much else going from beyond the arc outside of him. Excluding Ja, they shot just 4-23, with three of those baskets coming from Desmond Bane.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Bane were struggling efficiency-wise so getting a monster performance out of Morant was key to securing this win. The Lakers may not be playing up to their potential, but this was still an impressive win.
Almost every team in the league has been missing players due to covid protocols in recent weeks, so fans have seen a lot of new faces in the lineup. The Grizzlies have gotten production by committee lately, but one player, in particular, has shown out.
Killian Tillie has been very impressive during this stretch, and it will be hard to take him out of the rotation even when they’re back at full strength. They’ve been missing a lot of guards, but his versatility on the wing has allowed Memphis to play big at times.
He’s not filling up the stat sheet by any means, but he plays good defense and doesn’t make many mistakes. His ability to stretch the floor is a significant asset as well as he’s been able to knock down a few three-pointers which helps space the floor for teammates on offense.
While the depth on Memphis is impressive, Ja Morant is still the driving offensive force on this team. He’s a young superstar in this league who is in a prime position to earn the first all-star nod of his career.
With the win the Grizzlies sit in 4th place in the Western Conference with a 3.5 game lead over the Nuggets. This team is playing confident basketball, and with Ja Morant leading the charge, this team is capable of a deep playoff run.
Los Angeles meanwhile has more questions than answers when it comes to their future. 4-6 in their last 10, and currently two games below .500, we may see a shakeup to the Lakers roster sooner rather than later.
-Chris Kern
Twitter: @ChrisKern11