Ja Morant scores 26, dunks on Victor Wembanyama as Grizzlies beat Spurs 106-98

National Basketball Association

Published Jan. 2, 2024 11:34 p.m. ET

Ja Morant had 26 points, 10 assists and a fourth-quarter dunk over Victor Wembanyama, Desmond Bane added 24 points and the Memphis Grizzlies used a second-half spurt to beat the San Antonio Spurs 106-98 on Tuesday night.

Santi Aldama added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, which snapped a three-game losing streak

Wembanyama led the Spurs with 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Keldon Johnson finished with 19 points, along with six rebounds and four assists. Julian Champagnie and Jeremy Sochan scored 12 points apiece.

Morant brought the Memphis crowd to its feet with 9:11 left as he drove down the right side of the lane, cut left into the middle and dunked on the 7-foot-3 rookie from France, who leads the NBA in blocked shots. The dunk led to a scream, a shake of the head from Morant and an 88-70 lead for the Grizzlies.

The game was a matchup between two teams mired at the bottom of the Western Conference. The Spurs are trying to learn on the fly with the youngest team in the NBA, centered around Wembanyama, the top pick in the 2023 draft. Meanwhile, Memphis has dealt with mixed results in finding a balance and the right rotations since Morant’s return last month from a 25-game suspension for a displaying a gun on social media.

Memphis is last in the league in average points scored at 106.8, and the two teams rank at the bottom in offensive rating.

The first half, a low-scoring, poor-shooting two quarters, fit the narrative. Both teams went into halftime connecting at less than 40% from the field, and Memphis was 5 of 19 from 3-point range. The Spurs’ issue was a dozen turnovers in the half.

Wembanyama had an effect on the Grizzlies’ shooting with four blocks in the first half.

Memphis improved its shooting in the third quarter, allowing the Grizzlies to build the lead to as many as 18 in the second half.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Host Milwaukee on Thursday.

Grizzlies: Close a three-game homestand against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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