"Ja walked into the house MJ built" - Kendrick Perkins delivers a hilarious statement praising Ja Morant after his 40-piece against Chicago Bulls

Ja Morant’s breakout season continued at United Center with a scintillating 46-point masterpiece to drag the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls. The All-Star starter had an off-night versus the Minnesota Timberwolves the other night and bounced back big against the hapless Bulls. Morant’s performance won them the season series against Michael Jordan’s former team.

Not since His Airness made United Center his personal playground has the stadium been abuzz with excitement and anticipation. Much of the expected spark from the crowd has been due to the sizzling performances of DeMar DeRozan this season. Ja Morant, though, stole the thunder from everyone at such an iconic venue.

Former NBA player and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins was likely just one of the thousands who watched in awe of Morant’s jaw-dropping performance. He’s exhilaration comes through with his Twitter post:

“Ja walked into the house MJ built and the court DeRozan been cooking on and gave them a 46 piece wing dinner from Harold’s with extra mild sauce! Carry on…”

Ja Morant has made no secret of his feelings after he was snubbed from the All-Star team last year. Not only has he become a starter this season, but he has also captured national media attention with highlight-reel plays and clutch shots. Putting up this performance in “the house Michael Jordan built” will only enhance his superstar draw.

While DeMar DeRozan struggled in front of the home crowd, which has been a rarity the past 10 games or so, Ja Morant was unbelievably good. The 22-year old point guard hit 15-28 shots, including 3-4 from beyond the arc. Morant’s aggression also allowed him to feast from the free-throw line, where he missed only two of his 15 attempts.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ season started featuring the Ja Morant recognition tour. The three-year guard started like a house on fire and was only slowed down by a freak injury. It took him just a few games to get his rhythm back before he returned to his scorching-hot form.

Count the United Center as one of the many basketball courts that have witnessed Morant’s ascent to hoop stardom.

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Can Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies sustain their form in the playoffs?

The Memphis Grizzlies are poised to make some serious noise in the postseason. [Photo: SBNation.com]

The Memphis Grizzlies only have 20 games left on their schedule. They are a shoo-in to make the postseason considering how they have been playing for most of the season. It’ll take a titanic collapse on Memphis' part for them to not even make the play-in.

How they can maintain their great form in a series remains to be seen. They were dispatched by the Utah Jazz last season quite easily, but Ja Morant wasn’t his superstar self back then. The Grizzlies are now a more balanced team with the kind of swagger and momentum that is hard to deny.

A top-four spot should be the least they can achieve by the time the regular season ends. The expected playoff nerves should be less of a problem when they open the first round of the playoffs on their home floor. With Morant playing like a man possessed, Memphis will be a tough out in the playoffs.