Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Memphis prevails after Morant hurt
NEW YORK — Ja Morant could barely stand, needing a wheelchair to take him from the court area after spraining his left ankle.
Having already lost their first two games, now the Memphis Grizzlies had lost the NBA Rookie of the Year and their best player.
“A moment like that can really test you, but our guys just kept on fighting,” Grizzlies Coach Taylor Jenkins.
And Morant was there to watch them.
The Grizzlies earned their first victory of the season, outlasting the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 116-111 in overtime Monday night.
Morant was hurt late in the first half when he leaped to block a shot by Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and landed on the Nets forward’s foot. Morant immediately hopped off the floor, then laid on the floor in pain before being wheeled to the back of the arena.
He rejoined his teammates on the bench in the second half with his foot in a walking boot, offering energy and support to carry them through a tense finish.
“He’s a team player. He loves his squad,” teammate Dillon Brooks said.
Morant watched Brandon Clarke score the go-ahead basket on a follow shot with 41 seconds left in overtime before the Grizzlies put it away with free throws.
Morant averaged 36 points in the two losses, scoring a career- high 44 in the season opener, but the Grizzlies found enough offense without him Monday.
“Unbelievable display of resiliency by our group,” Jenkins said.
Kyle Anderson scored a career-high 28 points and Brooks added 24 for the Grizzlies. Clarke had 16 points, and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
“We kind of knew that this was a game that we had to win no matter what,” Clarke said.
JAZZ 110, THUNDER 109
OKLAHOMA CITY — Donovan Mitchell hit a go-ahead layup with seven seconds left and finished with 20 points, lifting the Utah Jazz over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bogan Bogdanovich scored 23 points and Mike Conley added 20 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists for the Jazz, who ended a 17-game losing streak in regular season road games against the Thunder, including games in the NBA’s Orlando bubble last season. Utah’s last win in Oklahoma City came Oct. 31, 2010.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a driving layup in heavy traffic at the buzzer for Thunder. He had 23 points and 7 assists, while Luguentz Dort led the Thunder with a career-high 26 points.
HAWKS 128, PISTONS 120
ATLANTA — Trae Young scored 29 points, Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons in their home opener.
John Collins finished with 15 points for the Hawks, who are 3-0 for the first time since 2016-17 and hit 20 three-pointers while shooting 47.6% beyond the arc. Young’s three from the right wing put Atlanta up 122-112 with 1:47 remaining before Jerami Grant’s three trimmed the lead to five with 1:05 left. Collins hit two free throws and Young sealed it with four free throws in the final minute.
The Pistons dropped to 0-3.
NUGGETS 124, ROCKETS 111
DENVER — Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 18 assists and 12 rebounds for the 42nd triple-double of his career as Denver beat Houston Rockets.
Jamal Murray added 21 points before leaving with 4:05 remaining in the third quarter after a collision in traffic sent him sprawling to the floor. He laid on the floor for a couple of minutes but got up and walked under his own power to the locker room for further examination. He was back on the bench midway through the fourth but did not re-enter the game.
James Harden had 34 points to lead Houston. Christian Wood added 23.