2023 NBA odds: Bettors cash in as Ja Morant returns from suspension
Two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant returned to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night after sitting out a 25-game suspension.
Bettors were glad to see him, as they cashed in on multiple Morant wagers in the Grizzlies’ 115-113 win at the buzzer over the New Orleans Pelicans.
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Here’s how bettors cashed in on Morant’s return:
– Morant scored Over 24.5 points (34) in the Over/Under.
– Morant and the Grizzlies covered as 8.5-point underdogs.
– Memphis won on the moneyline (+290, bet $10 to win $39 total) on Morant’s spinning floater in the lane at the buzzer. The Grizzlies were down 60-36 with 40 seconds to go in the second quarter.
– Under 229 combined points scored in the Over/Under covered by one point.
– Morant set an NBA record for most points by a player coming back from an absence of at least 25 games.
– Morant is is the second player since 2004-05 to score more than 30 points and hit a buzzer beater in his first game of the season. The other? Kobe Bryant (33 points) in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 99-97 overtime win at the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 2, 2005.
“Had a lot of time to learn myself. A lot of hard days where I went through it,” Morant said. “But you know, basketball is my life — what I love, therapeutic for me. And I’m just excited to be back.”
LSU‘s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels was in attendance.
Morant, the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year, was suspended 25 games for holding a gun in an Instagram Live video in May.
He also served an eight-game suspension last season after a similar incident.
Morant and the Grizzlies return to action Thursday against the visiting Indiana Pacers.
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