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Ja Morant didn’t have his best stuff early on Friday in the season restart opener but the rookie nearly willed the Memphis Grizzlies to a victory before falling to the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime, 140-135.
Morant struggled to open up after tallying just two points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field in the first half. He came out in the second half more aggressive, which became the turning point of the game, as he nearly led the Grizzlies back by himself.
Morant helped erase an eight-point halftime deficit as he took over in the third quarter. He scored or assisted on five consecutive possessions as the Grizzlies outscored the Trail Blazers by 11 points in the period. Morant scored 11 of his 22 total points in the third quarter alone to take a three-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter but the Trail Blazers, led by C.J. McCollum and Carmelo Anthony, chipped away at the deficit and nearly won the game in regulation before going into overtime. From there, the Trail Blazers dominated the extra time to walk away with a key victory.
"Must be nice!"
👀 Ja out in transition! 😳💥
📺: @NBATV pic.twitter.com/qV4AkcdmL7
— NBA (@NBA) July 31, 2020
The victory for the Trail Blazers moved them to within 2.5 games of the Grizzlies in eighth place. Currently, the two teams would participate in a play-in tournament if the season ended since the Trail Blazers are within four games of eighth place.
In the end, the Grizzlies had opportunities to put the Trail Blazers away but were unable to capitalize. Morant also dished out 11 assists but will need to put together more of a complete game to help the Grizzlies win throughout the rest of the seeding games.
The Grizzlies play next on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs.
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