Dunkin’ good
Grizzlies’ dynamic duo leads the way.
Jonas Valanciunas reminded Memphis Grizzlies fans Sunday that he's been their best player since the NBA All-star break. He added another exclamation point Monday night with help from Ja Morant.
Morant missed a layup with 1:39 left but Valanciunas followed it with a two-handed put-back dunk.
He hung on the rim, yelled, then ran downcourt and nearly knocked over Kyle Anderson in celebration.
Morant may have had his best dunk highlight of the season, Valanciunas' finish was just as pivotal. The Grizzlies ended a two-game losing streak with a 101-90 win over the Chicago Bulls at Fedexforum.
Fittingly, Valanciunas grabbed the final rebound to cap his franchise record 15th consecutive double-double.
The Grizzlies also remained a game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Fourth quarter Jonas comes through
The Grizzlies (27-25) trailed 83-81 with 7:05 left before Morant and Grayson Allen returned after a brief time on the bench. With Valanciunas leading the way, they closed the game on a 20-7 run.
Valanciunas had 10 of his points
in the fourth quarter, the second consecutive game he ended with a 10-point quarter. He also had three blocks and his final one started a fastbreak that ended with a 3-pointer by Anderson to put the Grizzlies up 10 with 2:06 left.
"I'm trying to go for every rebound, trying to go for every putback, stuff like that. That pays off," Valanciunas said.
He finished with 26 points (12-15 shooting) and 14 rebounds to surpass Zach Randolph's previous record of 14 consecutive double-doubles.
Ja Morant's best dunk of the season?
Morant jumping outside the paint and reaching back for a thunderous one-handed alley-oop dunk sent Fedexforum buzzing. It was worth it as Morant added a new leader for his best dunk of the season.
There was a ferocious dunk over Oklahoma City Thunder center Moses Brown.
Morant also had a left-handed alley-oop finish against the Boston Celtics with a high degree of difficulty.
For flash, it's hard to top his offthe-glass dunk off a pass from Anderson. But for a dunk that mixed power, elevation and fury, Morant might have set a new bar this season with that one.
He also had his 10th double-double this season with 13 points and 10
assists as the Grizzlies improved to 8-2 when Morant reaches double figures in assists.
Defense returns
After two games of fourth quarter letdowns, it was defense that helped the Grizzlies close the deal. The Bulls are the league's worst team in fourth quarter offensive efficiency and the Grizzlies outscored them 31-16 in the final period.
Chicago (22-31) shot just 5-of-31 on 3-pointers and Zach Lavine, who had 80 combined points in his last two games, had just 21 points on 5of-14 shooting. Credit Dillon Brooks, who scored 17 points but helped hold Lavine to just one field goal in the fourth quarter.
It's a reminder that for the Grizzlies found recent success embracing more 3-pointers, their bread and butter has been their defense and post play. If the shots don't fall, they can always fall back on that reliable identity.
Up Next
The Grizzlies close their threegame homestand Wednesday (8:30 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast/espn) against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks won the first meeting 102-92 in a game not as close as the final score showed. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 29 points off the bench as the Mavericks made 15 3-pointers.