The dark horse of the west has fallen with a bang!Morant lifted the ban on his debut and took down the Pelicans
At 8:30 a.m. Beijing time on December 20, the NBA regular season game kicked off on the home court of the New Orleans Pelicans, and the opponent was the Memphis Grizzlies. Before this game, the Pelicans ranked 7th in the West with a 16-11 record, becoming a dark horse in the Western Conference. With three All-Star-caliber players like Zion, Ingram and McCollum, as well as a center line player who has a clear advantage in the rotation, the Pelicans are not inferior in roster strength. They have been looking to make a breakthrough this season and make the leap to the next level.
The Grizzlies were still super dark horses in the Western Conference in the first two seasons, firmly holding the third place in the West in the regular season for two consecutive years. This season, however, the Grizzlies have faced severe adversity. The team's star Morant was suspended for more than 20 games due to off-court incidents, while interior core Adams was suspended for the entire season due to a knee injury. This has made the Grizzlies' scoring efficiency on the offensive end drop significantly, averaging only 105 per game6 points, ranking first from the bottom of the league. In this predicament, the Grizzlies have recently suffered a wave of 4 consecutive defeats.
However, the good news is that Morant has finally returned from the suspension and will return to the court against the Pelicans. Grizzlies head coach Jenkins said before the game: "While Morant won't be limited too much in the game, I'm not going to let his playing time go too crazy. "The game started with the Grizzlies fielding starting lineups of Morant, Bane, Williams, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Biyombo. The Pelicans, on the other hand, are a starting five consisting of Ingram, McCollum, Jones, Zion and Valanciunas.
In the first quarter of the game, the two teams exchanged moves, Valanciunas dominated the jump ball, and the Pelicans took the lead in gaining possession. Ingram showed off his skill at the free-throw line, and Valanciunas followed up with a layup under the basket. Morant also opened a scoring account for the Grizzlies during the full-court dash. Valanciunas also made a front-facing three-point jumper, while Jaren Jackson Jr. made a cover throw. After the first quarter, the Grizzlies led the Pelicans 25-21.
In the second quarter, Jackson flew to dunk with the help of a screen, and Zion turned and hooked his hand under the basket to return the color. Morant strode into the interior and scored a small pick-and-roll, and Valanciunas stepped on the snow without a trace to pick up the offensive rebound and hit a strong rebound. As the game progressed, the Pelicans showed strong offensive firepower, with Ingram's mid-range shooting, Zion's tough layup, and McCollum's accurate three-pointer hitting in quick succession. Conversely, the Grizzlies had a far less than satisfactory performance in the second quarter, and the Pelicans took the opportunity to launch a 39-16 offensive surge. At halftime, the Pelicans led the Grizzlies 60-41.
At the start of the second half, the pattern of the game did not change significantly. Biyombo received the ball under the basket and dunked with one hand, Bane broke through for a layup to create a foul, and Zion scored a solid basket under the basket. However, the Grizzlies fought back in the second half of the third quarter, and Morant gradually found his groove, contributing 13 points, three rebounds and four assists in the first quarter. At the end of the third quarter, the Pelicans led the Grizzlies 87-77.
In the final quarter of the game, the Grizzlies launched a fierce counterattack. Jaren Jackson Jr. is frantically pounding the basket on the court, and Morant is gradually getting better. However, at a critical moment in the game, the Pelicans' defense failed to stabilize the situation. The Grizzlies seized the opportunity and leveled the score. In the final minute of the game, McCollum's open three-pointer missed, providing the Grizzlies with a chance to kill. Morant broke through to the layup and made a successful kill!The Grizzlies defeated the Pelicans 115-113 to complete a 20-point comeback. Morant set a personal scoring record of 34 points, becoming the best player in NBA history to return after missing 25+ games.