Ja Morant's 32-point night leads the Memphis Grizzlies to home win vs. Timberwolves
As the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South played tunes like Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" and members of Lemoyne-Owen College's Divine 9 fraternities and sororities shimmied, hopped, clapped and line-danced, it felt like the Memphis Grizzlies were finding their groove on the annual HBCU Night at FedExForum.
The Grizzlies pulled away in the second half and looked like their usual selves in a 128-107 dominant win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies (34-21) with 32 points. Desmond Bane added 20 points, and the Grizzlies made 10 3-pointers.
The Timberwolves (30-29) made 15 3-pointers, but the Grizzlies dominated the points in the paint and free-throw battle to create separation.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
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Ja Morant shines
When Morant is hitting stepback 3-pointers in the first quarter, it's probably a good indication of the night he's going to have. The All-Star point guard made two early 3-pointers, and he built on that by relentlessly attacking the rim and leading the offense in the first half. He added a highlight alley-oop dunk over the outstretched arms of Anthony Edwards in the third quarter.
Bench boost
Luke Kennard was on the bench soaking up knowledge from his coaches and teammates as he waits to make his Grizzlies debut, but the bench was just fine waiting one more game for its sharpshooter. Brandon Clarke and Santi Aldama each reached double figures to carry the second unit. David Roddy was the 10th man in the rotation and scored five quick fourth-quarter points. Aldama scored 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting, and Clarke added 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s impressive streak
Jaren Jackson Jr. has responded strongly since a Reddit message board user accused the Grizzlies scorekeeper of incorrectly giving Jackson blocks. The All-Star forward dominated as a rim protector against the Wolves. He has at least four blocks in each of his last five games. He finished with 15 points, four blocks and a team-high plus-24 in 28 minutes.
What's next
The Grizzlies will head on the road for a primetime ABC game against the Boston Celtics on Super Bowl Sunday (1 p.m., ABC). Memphis lost its first meeting against Boston. The Celtics have been the most consistent team this season, and they're the current favorites to win the NBA title at multiple betting sportsbooks.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant leads Memphis Grizzlies to win against the Timberwolves
