– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BOSTON — Screw objectivity. Ja Morant, while we do understand your sentiment expressed last month when you put a moratorium on dunking the basketball, we thank you for reneging on that promise, at least for one night. In that split second during the third quarter of tonight’s game where Morant took off, and more than likely would have exercised caution otherwise, he had a change of heart … and blew the minds of every spectator, journalist, security member and anyone else who stood inside TD Garden and felt the shockwave.
Along with the dunk heard around the Association, the Memphis Grizzles as a whole continue to make noise as they continue to perform as one of the best teams in the league, and with a win against the defending NBA champions to show for it the latest bit of evidence.
Morant’s dunk was just two of the 32 points he scored while also contributing nine rebounds and nine assists as the Grizzlies recovered after losing the lead in the fourth quarter to defeat the Boston Celtics 127-121 on Saturday night. Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in with 27 points and nine rebounds as Memphis snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Celtics in Boston and have now win eight of its last nine games overall.
Morant was playing in just his sixth game back after suffering a hip injury during a game on Nov. 6, which occurred when he was hit midair by Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Koloko and crashed to the ground. The resulting hard fall left the Grizzlies’ superstar with a partial posterior hip subluxation and multiple pelvic muscle strains, forcing him to miss almost three weeks. Just three days prior to that game against Los Angeles, Morant clarified an earlier statement that he was intentionally refraining from dunk attempts as an act of self-preservation.
But some old habits die hard. Morant found himself driving down the baseline and going past Celtics defender Derrick White on a play midway through the third quarter when the looming presence of 7-foot-3 center Kristaps Porzingis shaded over toward the basket. In that moment, Morant took flight, then double-clutched in the air before throwing down a nasty reverse dunk that gave Memphis a 10-point lead.
We may not see too many of those shots going forward if and when Morant decides to continue to play it safe on attacks toward the rim, but it was a sight to again see the type of play that quickly shot Morant into superstardom since his rookie year and the Grizzlies into serious Western Conference contenders just a couple of seasons ago.
Memphis is quickly turning into a force once again, and it held the lead for the entirety of the game after the first three quarters before the Celtics stormed back. Payton Pritchard’s three-pointer at the top of the key gave Boston its first lead a couple of minutes into the fourth. The teams continued to go back-and-fourth for the next few minutes but, with the Grizzlies up 117-115, they went on a 7-0 run to put some separation and allowed them to close out the win.
More emotions were elicited from the TD Garden crowd from another Grizzlies guard earlier in the game. Marcus Smart, who spent his first nine seasons in Boston before being traded prior to last season, saw action in a game in his former home as an opponent for the first time. (Smart was injured and did not play in Memphis’ visit to Boston last season.) He checked into the game at the 8:50 mark of the first quarter and was given a standing ovation, something Smart acknowledged by waving to the crowd. Smart played 19 minutes and scored three points, going just 1-for-11 from the field.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Saturday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Erica Denhoff. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 31 pictures in total.
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