Grizzlies gut out win

Morant helps lead Memphis to MLK Day victory over Suns.

The Grizzlies looked clean on national television with their Soul City edition jerseys. Their play Monday was just the opposite – sloppy and disjointed.

They struggled with spacing against the Suns. They were dominated inside by Phoenix center Deandre Ayton. Even one of the basketball goals at Fedexforum was crooked and need to be checked at one point.

But in the fourth quarter, Ja Morant made everything straight. The Grizzlies' closer did what he managed to do so well last season – finish games.

Morant's performance in the fourth quarter pushed the Grizzlies to a 108-104 win over the Suns (7-5).

It wasn't pretty but a fifth consecutive win got the job done over one of the Western Conference's best teams.

With the Grizzlies tied at 98, Morant danced his way into the paint and yet somehow spied an open Allen in the corner. He fired a perfect pass to Grayson Allen, whose 3pointer put the Grizzlies up 101-98 with 1:06 left.

He added a finishing touch by driving by Ayton, who had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and laying it up with his left hand with 30.8 seconds left. For good measure, he drew a charge on Chris Paul on the Suns' next possession.

It was the final kick the Grizzlies missed with him sidelined for eight games. But with him back for two in a row, the Grizzlies now have their longest winning streak since they won seven straight last season. That streak helped push them into the No. 8 seed where they remained until late in the NBA bubble.

This streak pushed them over .500 for the first time this season.

Morant and Brandon Clarke each had 17 points with Allen adding 16 points off the bench. Morant also had 10 assists and two steals to get the better of Paul, who had 16 points and seven assists.

Grizzlies rookie Xavier Tillman, in his first NBA start, had 12 points and six assists.

Monday's win showed why Morant pushes the Grizzlies to another level. Although the Grizzlies won ugly, the finish was still pretty with their star delivering in the final minutes yet again.

With a nationally audience watching, it ended up being a better show than expected.

ARIEL COBBERT/THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (15) shoots over Suns forward Mikal Bridges (25) during a game at Fedexforum in downtown Memphis on Monday.