Ja Morant’s 30-point triple-double carries Grizzlies past Jazz

Ja Morant tallied 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 119-109 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz on Friday, January 28 (Saturday, January 29, Manila time).

Morant is averaging 35.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists over his past five games.

Brandon Clarke finished with 22 points for the Grizzlies, who won for the 15th time in 18 games. Jaren Jackson Jr. chipped in 18 points, and Desmond Bane added 17.

Danuel House Jr. scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Jazz. Mike Conley added 15 points and 6 assists, and Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in 13 points apiece.

Utah has lost four straight and 10 of its past 12.

The Jazz played without Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell once again. Mitchell missed his sixth straight game because of a concussion. Gobert missed his third consecutive contest because of a calf strain.

Without its two biggest stars, Utah trailed the entire second half. Royce O’Neale capped a 7-0 run with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 105-101 with 4:39 left, but that was close as the Jazz got down the stretch. 

Memphis answered with a 10-2 run, bookended by baskets from Morant, to extend its lead to 115-103 with 1:28 remaining.

Utah scored three straight baskets to seize an early 8-2 lead, getting back-to-back three-pointers from O’Neale. The Jazz fared well offensively until sputtering int the second quarter, where they endured a 4 1/2 minute stretch without a basket.

Memphis used an 18-2 run during that stretch to seize control late in the second quarter. Morant scored a pair of baskets over three possessions to finish off the run and give the Grizzlies a 57-44 lead.

Utah made it a two-possession game multiple times in the third quarter, the last time when Bogdanovic converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to 73-68.

Clarke capped a 9-0 run with three baskets to push Memphis’ lead to 82-68 late in the third quarter. – Rappler.com