Grizzlies 125-119 win over Hawks

Grizzlies 125-119 win over Hawks

NBA

Grizzlies 125-119 win over Hawks

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Ja Morant had 30 points and 11 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies moved to 3-0 since his return with a 125-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Desmond Bane had 37 points for the Grizzlies, who had not won three straight games all season while stumbling to a 6-19 start as Morant served a 25-game suspension for waving a gun multiple times on social media. Bane also had seven rebounds and six assists.

Trae Young made history in defeat, finishing with 30 points and 13 assists. It was his seventh consecutive game with at least 30 points and 10 assists, tying Oscar Robertson for the longest such streak in NBA history. Robertson set the record from December 1964 to January 1965. The Hawks are 3-4 in those seven games.

The Grizzlies’ decisive run came after the game was tied at 106. Memphis scored nine straight points, with Morant capping the spurt with a floater over Young in the lane with 3:37 to play. The Hawks never got closer than four points thereafter.

 

Morant’s offensive brilliance was on full display, as he scored from the lane, the wings, from 3-point range and from above the rim with two dunks. He found teammates cutting when the Hawks sent help his way and helped the Grizzlies shoot over 50% for the third time since he returned. That is a first this season for Memphis, which also had 29 assists.

The Hawks closed the first half on a 9-3 burst to take a 60-50 lead into the break. Atlanta did not trail for the final 20:32 of the first half after taking an 11-10 lead. In the third quarter, however, the Grizzlies closed the gap with a 10-0 run to start the period.