Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant Shreds Los Angeles Lakers in Convincing Win

The Memphis Grizzlies reminded everyone why they're the second seed in the Western Conference on Tuesday night, overwhelming a depleted Los Angeles Lakers squad in a 121-109 win. Ja Morant was easily the player of the game, accumulating a colossal 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in his sixth triple-double of the season.

after that 3rd quarter no question @jamorant is tonight's International Paper #GrizzPlayerOfTheGame

RT this tweet for a chance to win a Big Memphis, Big Prizes box from @IntlPaperCo - pics in the thread pic.twitter.com/3zMFhdsVBz
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 1, 2023

Morant hit 15 of his 29 field goal attempts and nine of his 11 free throw attempts. He was particularly sensational coming out of half-time, scoring a ludicrous 28 points in the third quarter on the LeBron James-less Lakers. It was Morant's second-most points in a game this season, behind only a 49-point outburst against the Houston Rockets on October 21st.

Morant has taken a mild step back from his sensational 2021-22 season but remains one of the NBA's best young players. He's averaging 27.2 points per game with a mediocre .555 true shooting percentage, both of which are down from last season. He's making up for it somewhat with career highs in rebounds (6.0) and assists (8.2), but any step back in scoring effectiveness at only 23 years old is a concern for a player many had pegged as the NBA's next superstar. It hasn't hurt the Grizzlies much: they're 37-23 and second in the Western Conference. They remain a major contender, and Morant is undoubtedly their best player.

The Grizzlies will travel to Houston tonight to face the Rockets in the second game of a back-to-back.