Ja Morant's first game back from injury did not go according to plan as the Memphis Grizzlies suffered a 102-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night. It was a disappointing defeat for the Grizzlies, who dropped to 19-13 for the season and 11-8 at home.
Oklahoma City records comeback win over Memphis
The last time these two teams met, the Grizzlies handed the Thunder a mighty beatdown, with Memphis thrashing Oklahoma City by 73 points. Memphis established several franchise records in that 152-79 win, including most bench points (93) and most field goals made (60).
The Grizzlies looked like they were on their way to replicating that feat, racing to a 28-16 lead after the first quarter. They stretched that advantage to 16 points with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter as the Thunder's shooting woes resurfaced again. Oklahoma City missed 12 of its first 14 field goal attempts to help Memphis build the early 39-23 edge.
Oklahoma City made sure, however, that there would not be another bludgeoning, with the Thunder outscoring the Grizzlies, 31-22, in the second quarter. That enabled the Thunder to trim the deficit to just three points heading into the halftime interval. Memphis floundered towards the end of the second quarter as the Grizzlies shot just 39 percent from the field in the first half.
The Thunder continued to pile on the pressure in the third quarter as they uncorked a blistering 22-10 run to gain a nine-point advantage against the Grizzlies. Memphis battled back, though, establishing an 89-84 lead with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Grizziles, they could not hold on to that lead as the Thunder finished the game with a back-breaking 18-10 run to steal the road win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City in the win, recording 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Josh Giddey also took center stage for the Thunder, registering a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists.
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Morant plays 28 minutes in much-anticipated return
The Grizzlies may have ended up with the loss but they will still be delighted that their franchise player Ja Morant is back in their fold. He missed a total of 12 games because of a knee injury. Morant also tested positive for COVID-19 which pushed back his return. Morant, who leads the team in scoring with 24.1 points per contest, played 28 minutes in his first game back against the Thunder.
He finished with 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the floor. Morant also grabbed six rebounds and dished out a team-high eight assists. Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, and Jaren Jackson Jr. were the other starters who scored in double-figures for Memphis. Bane led all Grizzlies scorers with 25 points while Brooks and Jackson Jr. added 19 and 15 points, respectively.
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