MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In his first game action since his eight-game suspension from a now-infamous Denver nightclub incident, Ja Morant scored 17 points off the bench as the Grizzlies edged out the Houston Rockets 130-125 to clinch their first-ever back-to-back NBA Southwest Division championships.
Morant, still nursing a nasal fracture, sported an all-black face protector and added four rebounds with five assists as he shot nearly 50% from the field in his 24 minutes played.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led all scorers with 37 points and added 10 rebounds, including three offensive boards.
Desmond Bane added 20 points of his own as seven different Grizzlies topped 10 or more points in the game, Helping to put away a Houston team that seemed to not go away.
The Rockets, with the worst record in the NBA's Western Conference held with the Grizzlies - now in second place in the Western Conference playoff standings - going toe to toe with them until late in the fourth quarter.
Morant, after being the target of intense scrutiny while away from the team for his off-the-court actions, said it was good to be back on the court with his teammates.
“It felt good,” Morant said after the game. “I have a lot of mixed emotions still, but I was excited to be back. I love [my teammates], I love the fans, I love the organization as they’ve supported me through this process.”
With the Dallas Mavericks losing to the Golden State Warriors Wednesday, the Grizzlies clinched their second-consecutive division championship, something which has never been done before in franchise history and a feat Morant said shows the team is “big time.”
“We love to win the division, but the goal now is to win the championship, so we just have to play our game and continue to work towards our goal,” Morant said.
The Grizzlies and the Rockets meet again at the FedExForum on Friday.
