Can Ja Morant save the Grizzlies? Plus, the Clippers keep winning and Pistons lose … again

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Rest in Power, Eric Montross. Gone far too soon.

Ja Morant Returns Tonight

Are the Grizzlies salvageable now?

Remember Ja Morant? The dynamic point guard with lightning speed who seemingly had personal trebuchets in the bottom of his shoes? The Grizzlies star makes his season debut tonight after serving his 25-game suspension for brandishing a firearm on social media twice in two months.

So, how much of Memphis’ season can Morant save? The 6-19 Grizzlies are off to a brutal start. Morant hasn’t been the only player missing. Steven Adams won’t play for them this season. Brandon Clarke still isn’t back. Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard have been out. And it turns out Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. weren’t capable of keeping things afloat as they were in seasons past.

The Grizzlies’ defense has actually been pretty solid during the start of the season. They’re tied with New Orleans and Denver for 10th among all teams. It’s the offensive end of the court where they’ll need the Ja boost. This is the worst offensive team in the NBA. 

Morant has consistently been among the best finishers at the rim over his career. His turnover rate has been steady, and it’s safe to assume that, as much as he gets to the rim and kicks out to teammates, Morant can create a lot of easy outside jumpers for the other Grizzlies.

Memphis is 7.5 games behind Phoenix for 10th in the West. Golden State (5.5 games behind) and Utah (3) are ahead of them, but the Grizzlies can easily pass either team. But will Morant be dynamic, consistent and reliable enough to challenge Phoenix? With so much time off prior to tonight, will Morant show a brand-new jump shot that’s far more lethal than the 3-pointer we’ve previously seen?

The 24-year-old Morant was once being prepared to be a face of the league. He’s a highlight reel at every turn, had a personality the league wanted to market and was good enough to get a signature shoe. So, where does Morant want to take his legacy in this return?

The Latest From Shams

G League star to defend dunk crown

The NBA hasn’t had a repeat Slam Dunk Contest winner since Zach LaVine in 2016. Despite being in the G League, Mac McClung has a chance to defend his title next year.

I’m told the NBA has delivered an invitation to McClung to participate in the 2024 Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. The 6-foot-2 McClung is the reigning G League Player of the Month, averaging 25.4 points and 6.3 assists per game for the Osceola Magic.

In case you need a refresher, McClung posted three perfect scores during his event last season and beat the Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III in the final. Voting for this season’s All-Star Game began today, with the dunk contest and the rest of the All-Star Weekend festivities set for Feb. 16-18.

League Pass Alert

Traversing a fun night

Last night had an 11-game schedule, so we had plenty to learn from its action. We went around League Pass all night so you didn’t have to. This is what you need to know:

Clippers 151, Pacers 127: The Clippers (16-10) remain the NBA’s hottest team and have their longest winning streak in the last eight seasons (eight straight). This was the fifth game this season in which a team scored at least 150 points without overtime. There were eight such games last season. The single-season record is 14. In 28 minutes, James Harden had 35 points, nine assists, eight 3s and one hardwood angel with an unsettling scream into the camera.

Cavs 135, Rockets 130 (OT): Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 17 assists for the Rockets (13-11), but it wasn’t enough to overcome a battered Cavs team (15-12). Donovan Mitchell had 37 points, and Sam Merrill hit five 3-pointers off the Cavs bench.

Bulls 108, Sixers 104: So, that’s what it looks like when the 18-8 76ers don’t play the Pistons, Hornets and Wizards every night. This also resembles how the Bulls (11-17) continue to look when Zach LaVine doesn’t play. They’re 6-3 since his injury. Joel Embiid (40) and Tyrese Maxey (29) combined for 69 points. No other Sixer hit double digits.

Hawks 130, Pistons 124: The Hawks (11-15) tried to let 2-25 Detroit ruin this streak by allowing a 40-point fourth quarter as Cade Cunningham went for 43, but the streak continues – 24 straight losses for the Pistons, the third-longest in NBA history.

Wolves 112, Heat 108: At 20-5, the Wolves are off to their best start ever. Anthony Edwards was surgical in his 32-point dismantling of 15-12 Miami, which has lost three of five at home.

Nuggets 130, Mavs 104: This was a 77-70 game with 6:48 left in the third. The Nuggets had a 36-point lead in the fourth. And Nikola Jokić only had eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 28 minutes.

Knicks 114, Lakers 109: Despite a 25-point triple-double from the nearly 39-year-old LeBron James and 32 points from Anthony Davis, the Lakers are 0-1 on nights when when they raise an In-Season Tournament banner. In the words of Gob Bluth, “Take a look at banner, Michael!”

The Lakers placed it with the five Minneapolis Lakers banners, which is kind of perfect.

Jovan Buha / The Athletic

30 PPG Here to Stay

Averaging 30 is very common now

Back in the 1961-62 season, NBA stats lost their minds. Not only did Oscar Robertson post a season-long triple-double and Wilt Chamberlain scored 50.4 points per game without either player winning MVP  — because Bill Russell existed — but there remains an unmatched anomaly from that that 1961-62 season.

Chamberlain, Walt Bellamy (31.6), Bob Pettit (31.1), Robertson (30.8) and Jerry West (30.8) all cleared 30 points per game in the same season. Some years, two or three players do it at once. There have been 29 seasons without it being done at all. Then, last season, scoring continued to explode as six different players averaged at least 30 points per game.

Embiid (33.1), Luka Dončić (32.4), Damian Lillard (32.2), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.4), Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.1) and Jayson Tatum (30.1) all cleared 30 points per game, marking the most in NBA history. And guess what? We’re just a little over a quarter of the way through the season, but the league once again has six players over 30 each night.

Embiid (34.4), Dončić (32.9), Giannis (31.4), SGA (30.7), Kevin Durant (30.6) and De’Aaron Fox (30.1) are currently doing so. There’s plenty of season to go, but this is another example of how much scoring has taken over the current NBA product. Teams are averaging 115.1 points this season, on pace for the league’s highest single-season average since the end of the ’60s. Skill development has never been greater. Good luck, defenders.

Bounce Passes

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Should Keegan Murray have gone third in the 2022 NBA Draft?

Bradley Beal speaks about “getting out of limbo” that was the Wizards.

Caitlin Cooper breaks down how the Pacers are struggling against wings.

Screen Game (All times Eastern)

(Top photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)