Ja Morant saved the Memphis Grizzlies against the Miami Heat on Thursday with his 30-point performance. In the final moments of the game, Morant’s final shot gave the Grizzlies the 110-108 victory to bounce back from their Tuesday loss against the Golden State Warriors. Memphis had a 134-125 defeat at the hands of Golden State.
Morant had an advantage over the Heat defense as the fourth quarter came to a close. With the score knotted at 108, he had a switch on rookie big man Kel’el Ware as he ran the clock down. To beat the buzzer and give the squad the victory, the two-time All-Star drove to the hoop and made a step-back jump shot in the paint over Ware.
PICK UP THE PHONE 📞
SEND EM HOME ‼️@JaMorant | @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/03BTO2u9lf
— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) April 4, 2025
After securing the win, he was asked by TNT’s Taylor Rooks what he saw in Miami’s defense that gave him the confidence to attempt the last-second shot.
“A pigeon guarding me,” Morant said. “Go get a bucket and win the game.
Then, Rooks asked what was different about the game as it seemed to be personal for the star point guard.
“The [Heat] crowd getting to booing me. They just woke me up for the second half. I’m pretty sure they ain’t happy going home now.
“I felt good. I felt pretty good, I got it rolling. My teammates encouraged me to shoot more in the second half… Offense, that’s just natural that just comes to me.”
Ja caught up with @TaylorRooks after his HUGE game-winner 🤝 pic.twitter.com/mAY8rz4tAk
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 4, 2025
Morant added five rebounds and three assists in the game. Also, he shot 43% from beyond the arc. Off the bench, his backup point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. had 17 points and seven assists on 75% shooting from deep.
Fans react to the Memphis Grizzlies star bringing back the gun celebration
Morant already got into a tricky situation with the NBA after using the gun gesture in their loss against the Warriors. Although Buddy Hield was the first to do it, the history of the former Murray State standout made him the center of attention, causing him to receive a warning from the league.
Against the Heat, however, the Memphis Grizzlies star brought it back and he was once again in the hot seat.
Ja Morant was issued a warning by the NBA for making a gun gesture on Tuesday night.
Tonight, he brought the celebration back. pic.twitter.com/p71Z70oKup
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 4, 2025
Fans shared their reactions to Morant’s actions on Thursday.
“What is he doing?” a fan said. “He’s trying to get suspended.”
“This guys name is Temetrius and he grew up in a nice neighbourhood smh,” another fan commented.
“NBA needs to get him fined,” one fan said.
NBA needs to get him fined
— Graceful🦈 (@upbilssed) April 4, 2025
“come on now, Ja Wick wasn’t coming to Vice City without it”
“Definitely will get fined or suspended this time!! He doesn’t have the best record”
“he did it to the warriors and paid the price 😂. love ja but bro come on now”
he did it to the warriors and paid the price 😂. love ja but bro come on now
— 8otank (@8otank_) April 4, 2025
“N***a gonna bring a real gun on the court next week”
“Smh he wanna be gangsta so bad lol Asking for more trouble”
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
