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Ja Morant recorded 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds on Wednesday but the performance was not enough as the Memphis Grizzlies dropped their fourth straight game during the season restart after losing 124-115 to the Utah Jazz.
After leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Grizzlies trailed the Jazz by nine points at halftime. The Grizzlies managed to cut the deficit to one point heading into the fourth quarter but were unable to hold on late to win.
Morant finished by shooting 8-of-15 from the field in 37 minutes of work but struggled in the final period. He made just one of five shots in the fourth quarter and missed two key free throws late that could have cut the lead to three points with 3:40 left to play.
Though Morant struggled to shoot, the rookie continued to lead the Grizzlies down the stretch and attack the paint. On one play, Morant drove into the lane and made an acrobatic pass to Grayson Allen to tie the game up at 102 apiece.
dropped in the shooting pocket 🥽@JaMorant | @GraysonJAllen pic.twitter.com/MUcyo2g6ML
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) August 5, 2020
Following the loss, the Grizzlies’ lead in eighth place over the Portland Trail Blazers shrunk to just one game. Based on the start by the Grizzlies, it is becoming increasingly likely they will be forced to participate in a play-in tournament to determine the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The Grizzlies play next on Friday vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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