The Memphis Grizzlies notched a critical road win at the Minnesota Timberwolves behind another All-NBA level performance from Jaren Jackson Jr. who finished the game with 33 points and eight rebounds to lead the Grizzlies. His star teammate, Ja Morant, struggled mightily throughout the game as he finished with only 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists, along with five turnovers on 5-19 shooting.
However, his struggles were negated by his late-game execution with a driving layup to first tie the game against the Timberwolves, followed by a game-winning fadeaway floater. His heroics helped the Grizzlies secure their first close win of the season over a Western Conference opponent with a record over .500.
Best FG% in NBA on combined “shot to tie” or “shot to take lead” field goal attempts in final minute of regulation or over time of games since 2019-2020 (min. 35 FGA, reg
— Shawn Coleman (@StatsSAC) January 12, 2025
Szn and playoffs combined):
47.5% - Nikola Jokic
43.2% - Ja Morant
Ja Morant's clutch shooting has him in a category in which he only trails Denver Nuggets' three-time MVP Nikola Jokic for the highest field goal % on shots to tie or take the lead in the final minute of a game since he entered the league in 2019-20. His game-winner at Minnesota also secured his 5th career game-winning shot. Let's see how it ranks against his other game-winners.
5. First Career Game Winner at the Charlotte Hornets - November 2019
In his 3rd career NBA game, Ja Morant put the NBA on notice of his late-game heroics. After blocking Kyrie Irving's game-winning shot attempt and delivering the game-winning assist to Jae Crowder for a buzzer-beater victory in his third career game, Morant got his game-winning shot attempt eight games later and delivered.
With the game tied at 117 with 10 seconds remaining, then-rookie Ja Morant drove past Cody Martin for a left-handed layup in traffic with .7 seconds left to secure his first career game-winning shot. He finished with 21 points and 13 assists.
4. Game 2 vs Golden State Warriors - 2022 NBA Playoffs (Second-Round)
With the Grizzlies trailing 0-1 after a failed game-winning shot attempt in game 1, Ja Morant scored the team's final 15 points, including the shot to take the lead for good at the 1:42 mark to tie the series 1-1.
Outdueling Stephen Curry in a playoff game with 47 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists deserves a ranking despite the Grizzlies not trailing again after his floater with over a minute remaining in their 106-101 victory over the eventual 2022 NBA Champions.
3. Game Winner at Minnesota Timberwolves - January 2025
As mentioned above, Ja Morant struggled throughout the entirety of this game, shooting 3-17 before his final two buckets. His final shot to take the lead came with 18.6 seconds remaining to secure the victory for the Grizzlies, who were on the verge of falling to 1-4 since the calendar flipped to 2025. This also marked his second career game-winning shot against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
TWO CRAZY JA BUCKETS IN THE FINAL MINUTE WIN IT FOR MEMPHIS 🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/RaidlrQC98
— NBA (@NBA) January 12, 2025
2. Buzzer Beater at New Orleans Pelicans - December 2023
Coming off a 25-game suspension and returning to a 6-19 Grizzlies team, Ja Morant had one of the most anticipated season debuts in the history of the NBA and delivered. The Grizzlies trailed by as many as 24 points before Ja Morant led a comeback charge with 27 second-half points that included both the game-tying and game-winning baskets.
Ja Morant drove to the left at eventual 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive First Team forward Herb Jones before spinning back to his right hand and making the game-winning layup as the time expired to secure the 115-113 victory in his return. He finished this game with 34 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.
1. Game 5 vs Minnesota Timberwolves - 2022 NBA Playoffs (First Round)
In this thrilling first-round series, the Grizzlies trailed by 13 points in the third quarter of the important game 5 of a 2-2 series at home when Ja Morant delivered one of the best dunks of his career on Minnesota's Malik Beasley to inject energy back into the building.
The Grizzlies used that momentum to complete the fourth-quarter comeback that ended with Ja Morant hitting a layup around Minnesota's Jarred Vanderbilt with 1.0 seconds remaining to secure the Grizzlies' victory 111-109.
Morant finished the game with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists that put the Grizzlies up 3-2 in the series before ultimately winning the series 4-2.