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Ja Morant is making his home debut for the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers. Morant’s first game back from a 25-game suspension was on Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans. “G12” hasn’t played in front of the team’s home fans since Apr. 26 in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals versus the LA Lakers.
The hype surrounding the electric point guard’s return to Memphis was only hyped up even more after his spectacular game against the Pelicans. Morant delivered a Hollywood-style ending by scoring the game-winning basket.
On Thursday, the crowd at FedEx Forum was on its feet even before the pregame introductions were made. The home fans couldn’t wait to see the two-time All-Star play before them.
Derrick Rose, who was asked to make a speech, only fueled the fans’ excitement with these words:
“On behalf of the fans, I wanna say, ‘Welcome Back, Ja. We proud of you, shorty.’”
Rose was acquired by the Memphis Grizzlies to shore up the backcourt due to Ja Morant’s suspension. The former MVP is dealing with a hamstring and is considered week-to-week. Rose hasn’t played since Dec. 16 when he came out early in the game against the Houston Rockets.
Derrick Rose told the media when he arrived in Memphis that he wasn’t signed to “babysit.” Still, his veteran leadership has been an overlooked part of the team’s dynamics. He and former longtime Boston Celtics captain Marcus Smart have been keeping the team together in Morant’s absence.
Memphis Grizzlies are unbeaten since Ja Morant’s return
The Memphis Grizzlies were just 6-19 before Ja Morant. They are moving up to 8-19 with back-to-back wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and the Indiana Pacers. There’s still under a minute left versus Indiana but Memphis is on top 116-100.
Desmond Bane paced the Grizzlies with 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Ja Morant finished with 20 points on 7-15 shooting to go with eight assists and five rebounds. “G12” is +15 in net rating, the best among the starters.
Memphis’ next four games will be quite brutal. They will be on the road when they take on the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers. Memphis Grizzlies fans will not see their team until Dec. 31 when it hosts the Sacramento Kings.
