In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant was asked which team in the NBA makes him say, “We’re gonna have to run through them,” as Andrews put it. Morant answered with one word.
“Celtics.”
Andrews followed up his answer by asking if there was no one in the Western Conference that he and the Grizzlies would have to run through. Morant replied, “Nah. I’m fine in the west.”
Malika Andrews: “Who do you look at around the league as you’re studying and say, ‘We’re gonna have to run through them?'”
Ja Morant: “Celtics”
Malik Andrews: “No one in the West.”
Ja Morant: “Nah. I’m fine in the West.”
(h/t @_Talkin_NBA )
By doing so, Morant is hinting that the Celtics will be a tougher challenge than anyone else in the NBA, and that includes the team that last beat the Celtics and the Grizzlies in a playoff series, the Golden State Warriors.
Both the Celtics and Grizzlies have been around the top of their respective conferences, as the Celtics are half a game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the first seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Grizzlies are currently tied with the Denver Nuggets for the first seed in the West.
Morant’s Career Record Against Celtics
Morant first entered the NBA in 2019. In that time, Morant has played the Celtics five times in his career and has sported a 1-4 record in the games he has played against them. In those five games, Morant has put up the following statlines.
- January 22, 2020: Two points and five assists while shooting one-for-five from the field in a 119-95 loss.
- August 11, 2020: 26 points, 13 assists while shooting seven-for-15 from the field in a 122-107 loss.
- March 22, 2021: 29 points, nine assists, and five rebounds while shooting 12-for-25 from the field in a 132-126 overtime victory.
- March 3, 2022: 38 points, seven assists while shooting 13-for-29 from the field in a 120-107 loss.
- November 7, 2022: 30 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds while shooting 10-for-24 from the field in a 109-106 loss.
Outside of his very first game against the Celtics, which, to be fair, was during his rookie year, Morant has shown up to play against them but has struggled to finish the job more often than not. The Grizzlies will play the Celtics again on February 12, 2023.
Exec Says Celtics Have Had Defense ‘Die on the Vine’
The Celtics were the league’s No. 1 defense last season, allowing 106.2 points per 100 possessions. They have since dropped to eighth this season before taking on the Indiana Pacers, allowing 110.6 points per 100 possessions, behind the New York Knicks and ahead of the Miami Heat.
In light of the defense taking a little tumble, an Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney that the Celtics have fallen in love with their offense to the point where they’ve allowed their play on the other end of the floor to slip.
“They’re such a good offensive team, but they have let the defense sort of die on the vine there, and I think one of the things they were looking at was, ‘Well, it will all be OK when Rob gets back.’ OK, but you still have to go out and defend with some intensity, and they do not always do that.”
With Robert Williams III slowly being worked back up, the Celtics’ defense is expected to round back into form. How long that will take is something fans should keep an eye on.
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Ja Morant Singles Out Celtics in Bullish Interview