Ja Morant scored 45 points in his return to the floor in Game 3.
Ja Morant, who missed Game 2 against the Lakers in Memphis due to right hand soreness, returned to the starting lineup for Game 3 in L.A. with a 45-point effort.
The Grizzlies’ All-Star point guard shot 13-for-26 from the floor, including 13-for-14 at the line, while adding nine rebounds and 13 assists in Saturday’s 111-101 loss. He scored 22 straight points for the Grizzlies in the 4th quarter as their rally attempt came up short.
JA MORANT đŸ”¥
45 PTS (22 straight in Q4)
9 REB
13 AST
6 3PMGrizzlies look to even the series on Monday (10pm/et on TNT).#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/kzEdHXW91B
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2023
Morant, who entered the game averaging 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists on 46.2% shooting, couldn’t spark the Grizzlies at the outset; the Lakers opened the game with a monster 35-9 first quarter and never looked back.
