Morant scores career-high 44 points
Ja Morant's second-year leap started with a jump shot. It continued with a second-half flurry of drives, free throws and even a pull-up 3-pointer.
The reigning Rookie of the Year dazzled and dunked his way to a careerhigh 44 points in 35 minutes. The only downside was the Grizzlies couldn't match his brilliance Wednesday.
They lost their season opener 131-119 to the San Antonio Spurs at Fedexforum.
Yet it was secondary to Morant making some history.
At 21 years old and 135 days, he became the youngest NBA player to score 40 points in a season opener, breaking the previous record set by Shaquille O'neal (21 years, 244 days).
He finished one point shy of Mike Miller's franchise record. Naturally, he wasn't pleased it came in a loss.
"I'm not happy at all. Obviously wanted to win that game, we came up short," Morant said. "It's learning from this game to prepare for the next. For my play, I did alright."
Morant scored 34 points in the second half and added nine assists with two steals He showed all of his tricks in a performance that only saw him shoot four times outside the paint.
He froze All-star guard Demar Derozan with a hesitation dribble before hitting a floater in the first quarter. His 3pointer came on a fastbreak, a reminder he wants to expand his game.
Morant added another highlight to his reel with an alley-oop to himself in the fourth quarter. It was supposed to be a pass to Brandon Clarke but with Derozan trailing, Morant threw it off the backboard and dunked it in.
"My mind actually was to throw BC an alley because I know he was running with me. as he said," Morant said. "DeMar played the alley from BC and off the glass to myself was the only choice I had so that's what I did."
Dillon Brooks called Morant's performance amazing but added the Grizzlies' defense was unacceptable. It showed once Morant left with 1:13 in the first quarter.
The Grizzlies led 33-27 at that point but trailed 51-41 when Morant returned with 5:53 in the second and never threatened the Spurs.
Brooks had 16 points and had six as
sists, hinting at his goal of being more unselfish. But the NBA'S personal foul leader last season also fouled out, showing his discipline on defense needs work.
Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Grizzlies bench, a strength last season, struggled outside of Brandon Clarke's 10 points.
Grayson Allen, who joined the starting lineup after a solid preseason, made his first two 3-point attempts but didn't score again.
The Spurs shot just over 50% from the field and outscored the Grizzlies in fastbreak points 22-19. Seven players
scored in double figures and three scored at least 20 points, led by Demar Derozan's 28 points.
Morant showed Wednesday his second season could be better than his rookie campaign. But the Grizzlies showed why need more than just his best with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Justise Winslow injured to the start the season.
"Obviously we're going to be relying on him but we got to find other guys stepping up. I got to step up," Brooks said.
You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_b) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com