MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With 6:07 left on the clock in the first quarter, Dillon Brooks checked in for his first minutes of the season.
In that time, Ja Morant had already racked up 13 points, including eight straight for the Grizzlies.
Morant would score 19 points in the first, the most he has ever tallied in a single quarter, and would finish with 32 in the Grizzlies 118-108 loss to the Hornets.
Brooks, who missed the first 10 games of the season recovering from a broken hand, struggled to find his sea legs at first. In his first minute back, Brooks lost a ball out of bounds, committed a foul, had his shot blocked and a kicked ball. He soon settled in, finding Morant three times before the end of the first quarter, ending his season debut with 20 points and six assists.
The Grizzlies host Lausanne alum Cameron Payne and the Phoenix Suns at FedExForum on Friday at 7:00p.m.