The Memphis Grizzlies‘ preseason opener is in the books.
Well, three-quarters of the game is in the books, as the entire fourth quarter was delayed by a false fire alarm. This would eventually cause the game to be called after three quarters when we’d see Khris Middleton carrying BBQ across the court, which virtually ended the game.
That’s not some sort of dry joke either, take a look for yourself.
So to recap, the Grizzlies won their preseason opener, which only lasted three quarters before a fire alarm delayed the game and Khris Middleton carried BBQ chicken wings across the court. Seems about right.
The cancellation would lead to a low-scoring finish of 87-77. We didn’t get to see some of the reserve players in a very high does, but the Grizzlies took home a win, even if it feels incomplete. One part of the game may have made up for this though.
Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant put on a show on the highlight reel and on the stat sheet
Check the box score, watch the highlights — it doesn’t matter. Ja Morant will show up anywhere you see this game written. The only thing that could overshadow is was the bizarre circumstances that led to the game’s ultimate cancellation.
Those who did watch the game, however, got a glimpse of the Ja Morant show. Morant put up 27 points in just three quarters and 24 total minutes. This led all scorers in the game by a double-digit margin.
Granted, we didn’t see Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, or Dillon Brooks suit up, but it was still a strong showing from Morant, who knocked down 61% of his shots. Morant also finished with four assists and six rebounds, rounding out his game with a (+/-) of +12.
But that wasn’t even the best part.
The best part was the trio of dunks that the third-year point guard threw down, starting with the most notable of the bunch. See for yourself.
This wasn’t the only highlight dunk of the night from Morant, either, as the Grizzly point guard would finish with an effortless tomahawk slam just a few minutes later. Shortly after that, he’d throw down a reverse dunk in transition.
Showing out in opening games is becoming a theme for Morant, who dropped 44 points in last year’s regular-season opener. Hopefully, he saved a bit of his magic this year for the regular-season opener again.