National Basketball Association
Memphis 115, New Orleans 113
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Officials: #15 Zach Zarba, #54 Ray Acosta, #38 Michael Smith
Attendance: 18355

Ja Morant made a triumphant season debut with 34 points, capped by a game-winning, buzzer-beating layup, as the visiting Memphis Grizzlies rallied to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-113 on Tuesday night.

Memphis battled back from a 24-point, first-half deficit and took its first lead since the second quarter when Morant's basket capped a 9-1 run and put the Grizzlies ahead 111-109 with 1:22 remaining in the game.

Memphis took a timeout with the score tied at 113-113 and 10 seconds left to set up a play for Morant, who drove to the basket and hit an off-balance jumper to end the Pelicans' four-game winning streak.

Morant, who scored 27 points in the second half, added six rebounds and eight assists in his return to the Grizzlies' lineup after serving a 25-game suspension for holding a gun during a livestream video last spring.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 points and Desmond Bane added 21 for Memphis, which snapped a five-game losing streak. Vince Williams Jr. chipped in nine points and seven rebounds.

Brandon Ingram led New Orleans with 34 points. Jonas Valanciunas had 22 points and 14 rebounds, CJ McCollum scored 18 points, and Zion Williamson had 13.

Morant scored three points in eight minutes to help put the Grizzlies ahead 25-21 at the end of the first quarter.

New Orleans trailed by one early in the second quarter before moving ahead 53-31 after holding the Grizzlies scoreless for nearly six minutes during a 23-0 run.

The Pelicans outscored Memphis 39-16 in the second quarter and took a 60-41 lead into the break. McCollum led New Orleans with 15 points, while Ingram and Valanciunas had 12 apiece,

Morant sparked the Grizzlies' comeback with 13 points in the third quarter, including a layup with 30 seconds left to cut the deficit to 85-77.

Trailing by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter, Memphis pulled within 96-92 with 7:50 remaining when Xavier Tillman's 3-pointer capped a 10-0 run.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   New Orleans
Ja Morant 34 Scoring Brandon Ingram 34
Ja Morant 8 Assists Brandon Ingram 6
John Konchar 8 Rebounds Jonas Valanciunas 14
Jaren Jackson Jr. 11 Free Throws Made Brandon Ingram 11
Ja Morant 2 Steals Brandon Ingram 2
Jaren Jackson Jr. 3 Blocks CJ McCollum 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 115 50.0 10-31 23-29 19 42 7 5 18
New Orleans 113 47.1 11-25 22-24 23 39 3 4 11
Upcoming Games
  • New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Pelicans have a W/L % of .588 after a win and .545 after a loss.
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .167 after a win and .300 after a loss.