Justin Ford/Getty Images Ja Morant
The Memphis Grizzlies continued their hot play on Tuesday night when they beat the Golden State Warriors, 116-108. The win was the 10th in a row for the Grizzlies, who are now 29-14 and currently in fourth place in the Western Conference.
Once again it was the Grizzlies young star, Ja Morant who helped lead the team to the win. Morant scored 29 points, dished out eight assists, and grabbed five rebounds. His play of late has even earned him some discussion in the MVP conversation, but last night Morant earned some headlines for another reason.
Late in the game Morant scored an and one at the rim, during his celebration Morant was seen staring down a young fan in a Warriors jersey, that was trying to give him a high five. After the game, Morant gave his reasoning for the staredown.
“He was disrespectful with that jersey on,” Morant told reporters. “We Memphis. It looked like he wanted to cheer, but he had that jersey on. I apologize to him, but in that moment, bro, take that jersey off and then dap me up. Somebody find his information. I’ll send him one myself.”
In fairness to Morant, he was laughing throughout those comments. He also apologized and offered to send the boy a Grizzlies jersey, which was a nice touch. As young as this fan is though, it’s a little much to hold the jersey against him. Especially since Steph Curry’s jersey is one of the NBA’s top-selling jerseys year in and year out.
Morant’s Season So Far
In his third season, Morant continues to takes strides into superstardom. So far this season he’s averaging 24.9 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. During the Grizzlies recent ten game winning streak he’s been even better, averaging 27.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Morant has been very efficient this season, according to Cleaning the Glass, Morant ranks eighth in the NBA in points per shot attempt. His shooting has greatly improved this season, Morant currently ranks eighth in the NBA in effective field goal percentage at 53.4%. He ranks seventh in two-point field goal percentage at 51.9% and eleventh in three-point percentage at 38.3%. Morant also ranks eleventh in assist percentage at 32.9%.
Warriors Recent Play
Since the start of 2022, the Warriors play has been uneven. The team is 3-3 so far in January and have struggled offensively, compared to their usual standards. The Warriors on the season have averaged 109.8 points per game, but in January so far they have scored just 103.3 points per game. Over the last week the struggles have been even worse, as the team has scored just 95.5 points per game in four games.
Injuries haven’t certainly played a part in the Warriors struggles this month. Draymond Green has missed three games and most of a fourth game with a calf injury. Steph Curry also missed a game with a left quadriceps contusion.
The upcoming schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Warriors. On Thursday night they play at the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, then play at the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Green is expected to miss both games with his calf injury.