Morant's 27 points help streaking Grizzlies hold off Hawks
Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return to the Memphis starting lineup and the Grizzlies... Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return to the Memphis Grizzlies starting lineup and the Grizzlies held off the Atlanta Hawks 123-119 on Sunday night for their sixth consecutive win. Desmond Bane added 25 points for Memphis, twice delivering fourth-quarter baskets after Atlanta pulled within one. Memphis is second in the Western Conference despite a 15-22 road record, but the six-game winning streak includes two victories away from home. Jaren Jackson Jr. set a career high with eight blocks in the Grizzlies' 128-103 home win over the Hawks on Dec. 12, while De'Andre Hunter started after missing one game with a bruised left knee and returned to a backup role.
Published : one year ago by CHARLES ODUM, AP Sports Writer, By CHARLES ODUM in Sports
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ATLANTA (AP) — Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return to the Memphis starting lineup and the Grizzlies held off the Atlanta Hawks 123-119 on Sunday night for their sixth consecutive win.
Desmond Bane added 25 points for Memphis, twice delivering fourth-quarter baskets after Atlanta pulled within one.
Memphis is second in the Western Conference despite a 15-22 road record. But the six-game winning streak, the NBA's longest active streak, includes two victories away from home.
Morant received a big cheer from the Atlanta sellout crowd during pregame introductions. He came off the bench in his first two games after serving an eight-game NBA suspension for posting a video in which he was shown waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club.
Saddiq Bey's 3-point play for Atlanta cut the Grizzlies' lead to 98-87 before Bane responded by sinking a jumper. AJ Griffin's jumper again pulled the Hawks within one before Bane answered with another basket.
Minutes later, Bane's 3-pointer gave Memphis a 110-103 advantage. The Hawks made one final push, cutting the Grizzlies' lead to 122-119 on De'Andre Hunter's 3-pointer. After a free throw by Tyus Jones extended the lead to four points, Atlanta called a timeout with 11.6 seconds remaining.
Trae Young, who led Atlanta with 28 points, missed a short jumper before Bogdan Bogdanovic's 3 from the corner also was no good. Young added 10 assists one day after he was ejected for throwing the ball at an official during the Hawks' 143-130 win over Indiana on Saturday.
Jaren Jackson Jr. continued to thrive as a shot blocker against Atlanta. Jackson set a career high with eight blocks in the Grizzlies' 128-103 home win over the Hawks on Dec. 12. He added five blocks on Sunday, all in the first half.
Jackson was called for a foul on a block that knocked John Collins to the floor with six seconds remaining in the first half. Jackson and coach Taylor Jenkins were called for technical fouls for arguing the call against Jackson, and a review confirmed it was a clean block.
Grizzlies: With Morant starting, Jones had 13 points in a backup role. Jackson scored 15.
Hawks: Hunter started after missing one game with a bruised left knee. Bogdanovic, also slowed by a bruised left knee, returned to a backup role. ... F Jalen Johnson (groin, hamstring) missed his sixth straight game.