Ja Morant’s big night after Rudy Gobert’s monumental rejection shows Memphis will continue to attack

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies didn’t stop attacking on Wednesday night, even when Morant was the victim of one of the most memorable rejections of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s career and the visitors fell behind by 20 points in the first half.

What happens next in this highly competitive first-round NBA playoff series is anybody’s guess, but the top-seeded Jazz learned that in taking a 141-129 win to even the series at a game apiece that Memphis and its blossoming superstar are ready for a fight to the finish.

Moments after Gobert’s epic block on Morant, the second-year player told Gobert he would be back, and indeed he was.

“It is an honor to be able to do that (record). I am blessed to be in the position that I am in, to play the game at the highest level, but that’s not on my mind at all. We lost. Obviously it wasn’t enough.” — Memphis star Ja Morant after a career-high 47 points in 141-129 loss to the Utah Jazz

Morant set a Memphis franchise record in single-game scoring with 47 points, passing 45 set by Mike Miller, and also surpassed LeBron James for the most points scored in an NBA playoff game by a player 21 years or younger. He and his team were relentless in defeat, but sent a message in this No. 1 vs. No. 8 seed matchup: It is far from over now that the Jazz have a win under their belts.

“It is an honor to be able to do that (record),” Morant said. “I am blessed to be in the position that I am in, to play the game at the highest level, but that’s not on my mind at all. We lost. Obviously it wasn’t enough.”

Memphis lost the game, but gained even more confidence, if that’s possible after it stunned the Jazz 112-109 on Sunday night in the series opener.

“Lot of great stuff tonight,” said Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins. “But we showed these guys we can compete. They love to compete. We can beat this team. We have done it. We can compete with them. We are going to learn and grow and keep giving our best effort moving forward.”

Morant was 15 of 26 from the field, with only two 3-pointers, and 15 of 20 from the free-throw line. As for the big Gobert block when Morant was trying to posterize the defensive player of the year in the second quarter, Morant said he was unfazed, evidence by the fact that he ventured into the paint time and again in the second half.

“Not afraid,” he said. “I mean, that is his job, to protect the rim. That’s my job when I am attacking the rim is to go finish. Obviously, he got a good block, but as you have seen throughout the game, I was right back inside the paint.”

Resiliency was the theme of Memphis’ postgame news conference, as the Grizzlies and their coach focused on an outstanding third quarter in which they fought back from a 74-54 halftime deficit to make it a one-possession game late in the quarter.

“Really proud of our group in that third quarter to bounce back, cut the lead to a one possession game,” Jenkins said. “But 50-50 balls, second-chance points in that fourth quarter, you can’t have those down the stretch in a close ball game.”

The Grizzlies scored on their first 15 possessions in the third quarter, creating a sense of uneasiness among Jazz faithful. Memphis scored an incredible 29 points in the first six minutes and 20 seconds of the quarter. 

The Grizzlies scored on 19 of 23 possessions in third quarter — and didn’t score on their final two.

“That starting group really set a tone in that third quarter,” Jenkins said.

1 of 34

2 of 34

3 of 34

4 of 34

5 of 34

6 of 34

7 of 34

8 of 34

9 of 34

10 of 34

11 of 34

12 of 34

13 of 34

14 of 34

15 of 34

16 of 34

17 of 34

18 of 34

19 of 34

20 of 34

21 of 34

22 of 34

23 of 34

24 of 34

25 of 34

26 of 34

27 of 34

28 of 34

29 of 34

30 of 34

31 of 34

32 of 34

33 of 34

34 of 34

As well as Memphis played in the third quarter, however, it did the opposite in the fourth, especially the first few minutes when the Jazz took their turn opening a quarter with a scoring flurry. Utah scored on its first seven possessions to jump in front 121-104, the crowd got back into it, and the Grizzlies could start plotting for Game 3 at FedEx Forum.

“Of course, home-court advantage (is coming) with our crowd,” Morant said. “Like I said after Game 1, let’s return the favor of what their crowd been doing to us. We are excited — 1-1. The mindset right now is to go back home, defend home court and take Game 3.”

Not falling behind by 20 in the first half, or getting stars such as Dillon Brooks and Jonas Valunciunas in foul trouble, will help.

Valanciunas and Brooks picked up two fouls apiece before the first quarter was even half over and spent considerable time on the bench.

Brooks was booed lustily in pregame introductions — video of his double-flop against the Utes a couple years ago as an Oregon Duck and his would-be headbutt on Mike Conley Sunday night having made the rounds online — and every time he touched the ball.

Back-to-back triples by Joe Ingles and Mike Conley gave the Jazz an 11-point lead just before the first quarter ended, and that was almost that.

For Memphis, the second quarter was defined by two failures. One, Jenkins unsuccessfully challenged a foul called on Brooks on Ingles’ 3-point attempt. 

That ruling was significant, because it was the third foul on Brooks and Ingles made all three free throws to push Utah’s lead to 46-32.

The second was when Morant tried to dunk on Gobert moments after the Ingles free throws, and got a return-to-sender notice instead. It was a spectacular block by Gobert on one of the NBA’s rising stars that got some play on the highlight shows but would have been ran over and over again if the gutsy try had worked.

For the young Grizzlies, it would have been epic. Alas, it failed spectacularly.

But the message was sent loud and clear: these guys will be back.