Ja Morant

Ja Morant scored a game-high 49 points and steered the visiting Memphis Grizzlies to a 129-122 victory over the Houston Rockets.

But when Morant exploded in the third quarter, the Rockets could do little to keep grasp of the momentum. The Grizzlies led 17-13 when he took a seat at the 4:59 mark of the first quarter and the Rockets later responded to his absence with a 17-0 run that bridged the first and second periods. Green and Porter were integral in helping Houston carve a six-point advantage entering the second and when Eric Gordon sank a pair of free throws with 9:51 remaining in the half, the Rockets extended to their largest lead of the contest at 42-26. Whether penetrating the Houston defense with his probing off high screens or by feeding Jake LaRavia (12 points) and Konchar for open 3-pointers, Morant proved unstoppable. Morant followed by scoring seven points and assisting on a John Konchar 3 that extended the lead to 123-113. He finished 5-for-6 on 3-point attempts, his lone miss coming late in the fourth quarter on a heave against an expiring shot clock.

Ja Morant scored 49 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Grizzlies to a 129-122 victory over the Rockets on Friday night.

[Eric Gordon](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3431/eric-gordon) to get within five points with about two minutes to go. [Jalen Green](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4437244/jalen-green), the second pick in the 2021 draft, led the Rockets with 33 points. [Alperen Sengun](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4871144/alperen-sengun) added 23 points for the Rockets, who fell to 0-2 this season. "Locking myself in the gym. "Work,'' he said. "What a phenomenal game by Ja. Bane made just 3 of 16 shots for 14 points and Jones was 4-for-13 with 11 points. [Brandon Clarke](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3906665/brandon-clarke) put Memphis up by two points before [Garrison Mathews](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3913180/garrison-mathews) and [Jabari Smith Jr.](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4432639/jabari-smith-jr) made back-to-back 3-pointers to put Houston up 108-104 with about nine minutes to play. "It's changes everything because he's downhill,'' Silas said. "I don't think so,'' he said. [Desmond Bane](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4066320/desmond-bane) and [Tyus Jones](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3135046/tyus-jones) struggled. [Ja Morant](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4279888/ja-morant) scored 49 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the [Memphis Grizzlies](/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies) to a 129-122 victory over the [Houston Rockets](/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets) on Friday night.

Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant went full Michael Jordan on Friday against the Houston Rockets en route to NBA history.

The Rockets were leading for the most part, but a huge fourth-quarter rally saw Memphis turn the tables and win. Morant now owns the Top-5 single-game scoring record for the Grizzlies in the regular season and playoffs, a feat that only the other four mentioned were able to achieve for their respective franchises. Morant dropped 49 points in the game as he propelled the Grizzlies to the 129-122 victory.

Ja Morant scored 49 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Grizzlies to a 129-122 victory over the Rockets on Friday night.

[Eric Gordon](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3431/eric-gordon) to get within five points with about two minutes to go. [Jalen Green](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4437244/jalen-green), the second pick in the 2021 draft, led the Rockets with 33 points. [Alperen Sengun](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4871144/alperen-sengun) added 23 points for the Rockets, who fell to 0-2 this season. "Locking myself in the gym. "Work,'' he said. "What a phenomenal game by Ja. Bane made just 3 of 16 shots for 14 points and Jones was 4-for-13 with 11 points. [Brandon Clarke](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3906665/brandon-clarke) put Memphis up by two points before [Garrison Mathews](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3913180/garrison-mathews) and [Jabari Smith Jr.](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4432639/jabari-smith-jr) made back-to-back 3-pointers to put Houston up 108-104 with about nine minutes to play. "It's changes everything because he's downhill,'' Silas said. "I don't think so,'' he said. [Desmond Bane](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4066320/desmond-bane) and [Tyus Jones](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3135046/tyus-jones) struggled. [Ja Morant](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4279888/ja-morant) scored 49 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the [Memphis Grizzlies](/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies) to a 129-122 victory over the [Houston Rockets](/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets) on Friday night.

Ja Morant scored a game-high 49 points and steered the visiting Memphis Grizzlies to a 129-122 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday.

Saddiq Bey scored 26 points for the Pistons. Tyler Herro paced the Heat with 25 points and six rebounds on 10-for-21 shooting. Top overall pick Paolo Banchero collected 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic. Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 30 points and added seven assists. Toronto's Pascal Siakam posted a triple-double with a game-high 37 points plus 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Devin Booker scored 33 points and Deandre Ayton added 26 for the Suns. Jusuf Nurkic added 20 points and 17 rebounds and Simons scored 16 points as Portland won its second straight game to open the season. Anthony Edwards scored 30 for the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 and D'Angelo Russell added 23, including an OT-forcing bucket with 5.4 seconds left in regulation. Jordan Clarkson scored 29 points and Utah overcame a 17-point deficit to down Minnesota in overtime at Minneapolis. Atlanta's John Collins collected 23 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. added 18 points and four assists. Morant hit 17 of 26 shots from the floor.

Ja Morant scored 49 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 129-122 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

… Bruno Fernando left the game in the fourth quarter with left knee soreness. But Morant made a jump shot a few seconds later to extend the lead to 125-118. Jalen Green, the second pick in the 2021 draft, led the Rockets with 33 points. A basket by Brandon Clarke put Memphis up by two points before Garrison Mathews and Jabari Smith Jr. … Bane had seven assists and six rebounds. Morant carried the team on a night Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones struggled.

The young guns put on a show as Memphis' Ja Morant erupts for 49 points while Houston's Jalen Green answers with 33.

Still, the Rockets extended their lead to 8 points by the break with Green posting 20 first-half points and Sengun pairing 13 points with 6 rebounds prior to the intermission. But when Morant exploded in the third quarter, the Rockets could do little to keep grasp of the momentum. When he returned from his final stretch of rest in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies led 111-110 with 7:41 remaining.

Just two games into his fourth season in the league, Morant has wowed with his playmaking, athleticism and scoring ability, reminding us all that he's the ...

He put up those 49 on 17-of-26 (65.4 percent) shooting, by the way. (He scored 49 points in 31 minutes!) And with respect to highlights, it's impossible to praise Morant's play without including the highlights of his outburst against the Rockets. If anything, that's probably a reverse layup for a typical point guard, but Morant is anything but. If James and Antetokounmpo mastered it, then Morant is redefining it, using his otherworldly athleticism at 6-3 to make chase-down blocks seem routine for a point guard. The art of the chase-down block is one we've seen mastered by the likes of LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who are listed at 6-9 and 6-11, respectively.

After Ja Morant scored 49 points in the Grizzlies' win over the Houston Rockets, coach Stephen Silas is hoping to replicate Memphis' success amid their own ...

played as the backup center to start the third quarter. -Fernando played 12 minutes before leaving the game with a knee injury. "The season just started," Sengun said. Silas credited fatigue for Green slowing down a bit during the fourth quarter due to his defensive assignments. The Rockets hung with a team that beat them by an average margin of 21.6 points last season. "The advice for them is to stick together. Silas said he gave Morant praise for his impressive performance after the game. Instead of turnovers playing a prominent role in the loss this time, the MVP-caliber performance from Ja Morant prevented the Rockets from winning their first game of the 2022-23 season. But Houston's game plan went out the window once Morant began to rain triples from behind the arc. spoke on the importance of closing the lane to prevent Morant from attacking downhill. Instead of feeling dejected as a result of the Rockets losing their second consecutive game, Silas once again found encouragement in defeat. HOUSTON — When coach Stephen Silas was walking back to the locker room Friday night, he heard the Memphis Grizzlies celebrating their second win of the season.

HOUSTON (AP) — Ja Morant scored 49 points and hit five 3-pointers to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 129-122 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday ...

… Bruno Fernando left the game in the fourth quarter with left knee soreness. But Morant made a jump shot a few seconds later to extend the lead to 125-118. Jalen Green, the second pick in the 2021 draft, led the Rockets with 33 points. ... Memphis has so 35 straight games when scoring 120 points or more. A basket by Brandon Clarke put Memphis up by two points before Garrison Mathews and Jabari Smith Jr. Rockets: Smith, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, had 10 points after scoring 17 in his NBA debut Wednesday. … Bane had seven assists and six rebounds. “Locking myself in the gym. Morant carried the team on a night Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones struggled. Just in attack mode throughout the game.” When he’s making his 3-point shot he’s very, very hard to guard.” “What a phenomenal game by Ja.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant took to Twitter to share his reaction to a Rockets fan busting out a voodoo doll against him.

Suffice it to say that no voodoo magic worked on Ja this evening. Morant ended up exploding for 49 points on 17-of-26 shooting, to go along with four boards, eight assists, a steal, and two blocks. To be clear, though, the fan did say that he wished no harm on the Grizzlies star:

CAMDEN, NJ – As the Philadelphia 76ers look to bounce back from two straight losses, they will likely be looking Tyrese Maxey's way for some crucial help.

Maxey’s speed is the key to unlocking that area of the game for them and he now has the ideal partner to get after it with. Melton was third on last year’s Grizzlies squad in both [transition possessions and points](https://www.nba.com/stats/players/transition?CF=TEAM_ABBREVIATION*E*phi&PerMode=Totals&SeasonYear=2021-22&dir=D&sort=PTS). [scoring percentage on transition plays](https://www.nba.com/stats/players/transition?CF=TEAM_ABBREVIATION*E*phi&SeasonYear=2021-22&dir=D&sort=SCORE_POSS_PCT) and was narrowly second in points per possession, trailing only 3-point marksman Seth Curry. When asked by a reporter what he looks for when he goes off for scoring spurts (like he did on Thursday, scoring seven points in less than six minutes in the second quarter), Melton said that the key is to first get stops on defense and then get out in transition. As Doc Rivers looks to stagger his four key players (Maxey, Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tobias Harris), playing the two youngsters with a nose for fast-break opportunities together would be wise. Melton noted that Maxey and Morant are “two young, athletic, electric players that love to get up and down.

A few minutes later, Morant got into the lane for a floater that effectively sealed the Memphis Grizzlies' 129-122 victory over the Houston Rockets and bumped ...

Entering the season he was a 33.3 percent shooter from 3-point land for his career, averaging 1.2 makes per game. He also now has the five highest single-game scoring performances in Grizzlies history, with his 49 second only to the 52 he put up last season against the [San Antonio Spurs](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/SA/san-antonio-spurs/). Even more encouraging, though, is that Morant has been shooting the ball with supreme confidence and efficiency from behind the arc. For the season, Morant already has 83 points, eight rebounds, 17 assists and three blocks, and is shooting 20 of 38 on 2-pointers and 8 of 12 on 3-pointers. Knifing through traffic, he thought he had an impressive layup until [Ja Morant](/nba/players/2892772/ja-morant/) appeared out of nowhere to pin the ball against the glass. Though still extremely early, the Grizzlies have picked up where they left off last season, and have done so largely thanks to Morant's brilliance.

It has taken Ja Morant only two years to reach all five top spots in Memphis Grizzlies history's all-time best scores in a single game.

Ja Morant truly has no limit to his skills, he can do anything he wants. Coming in third, Ja Morant dropped 47 against the Utah Jazz back in 2021. The last place belongs to a 46-piece Morant also got in 2022. Last night against the Houston Rockets, the 23-year-old star dropped a 49-piece to reminds us he is truly a generational talent. Currently, the three best players who are at the perfect age of maturity are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. [Ja Morant](https://www.marca.com/en/basketball/nba/memphis-grizzlies/2022/09/14/632249df268e3efb3e8b45b9.html) only two years to reach all five top spots in [Memphis Grizzlies](https://www.marca.com/en/basketball/nba/memphis-grizzlies.html?intcmp=MENUPROD&s_kw=en-nba-memphis-grizzlies) history's all-time best scores in a single game.