Three observations from Ja Morant in Grizzlies’ loss to the Spurs

Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant narrowly missed his second career triple-double after scoring a team-high 25 points in a loss to the Spurs.

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After losing to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday in the season restart opener, the Memphis Grizzlies returned on Sunday by dropping its second straight game at the Walt Disney World Resort with a 108-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant narrowly missed his second career triple-double after scoring a team-high 25 points while he dished out nine assists and hauled in nine rebounds. He finished by converting on 10-of-18 shots from the field.

Morant helped lead the Grizzlies back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game up with 10.6 seconds left in regulation. However, DeMar DeRozan sank two free throws to seal the win after getting fouled with one second left by Dillon Brooks.

With the win, the Spurs moved into ninth place, just two games behind the Grizzlies. The two teams would each participate in a play-in tournament for the eighth seed in the Western Conference if that result holds following the eight seeding games.

While the Grizzlies lost, Morant played his best game of the season restart. Here are three observations from his performance on Sunday against the Spurs.

1. Morant was aggressive from the beginning of the game

Morant struggled to open up play on Friday after tallying just two points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field in the first half. He eventually bounced back to score 11 of his 22 total points in the third quarter and nearly single-handedly led the Grizzlies to the win.

On Sunday, Morant came out of the gate aggressive after scoring four points and two assists in the first quarter. He looked to attack the defense a bit earlier than he did on Friday and that helped set the tone for the rest of the game.

2. Morant has great chemistry with his teammates

The goggles made a comeback on Sunday against the Spurs. Of course, Morant has imitated wearing a pair of goggles throughout the season as a way to celebrate a flashy assist or play. The trend was started by a young fan to which Morant has continued.

After recording nine assists, Morant once again displayed his incredible court vision in the contest. Most notably, his lob passes to his teammates have become a thing to behold with Morant finding Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. during the game.

Morant likely could have had at least a few more assists throughout the game but his ability to find his teammates has been vital this season. He seemingly knows where his teammates will be on every play and he has a knack for dropping in perfect passes to those spots.

3. Morant lives for rising up in the fourth quarter

Morant entered Sunday sixth among all players in fourth-quarter scoring with 7.3 points in the period. On Sunday, Morant accounted for 11 of the team’s 30 fourth-quarter points as the Grizzlies nearly forced overtime after trailing for much of the period.

Morant has shown that he isn’t afraid of the moment and often plays some of his best basketball in crunch time. Though the Grizzlies came up short in the end, the result likely would have been worse had Morant not stepped up late.

The Grizzlies play next on Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans.

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