Ja Morant sinks Grizzlies winner at buzzer in boo-filled suspension return
Written by laserteam on December 20, 2023
(New York Post) – Ja Morant made his return to the NBA one to remember.
The Grizzlies guard, who received a mixed reaction from the New Orleans crowd at Smoothie King Center, carried the team to a 115-113 win over the Pelicans, hitting the game-winning bucket at the buzzer as he scored 34 points in his first game back from a 25-game NBA ban.
Down by as much as 24 points, Morant rallied his team with 27 points in the second half, and he saved the best two for last.
With the game tied and less than 10 seconds to go, Morant carried the ball up the court and slowly dribbled to the 3-point line.
From there, he picked up speed, made a spin move toward the basket and hit the backboard, banking the shot in as the buzzer sounded, giving Memphis a thrilling win.
As he ran into the tunnel after the win, an excited Morant was heard saying “I kept receipts, too,” as seen in a a video from NBA.com reporter Michael C. Wright.
After the game, he spoke with TNT about what it was like coming back to the court after he was suspended by the league in June for flashing a gun on an Instagram Live video a month earlier.
It was his second such suspension by the NBA for showing a firearm on social media after he was given an eight-game ban in March.
