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Morant and Grizzlies put on a show in Orlando
Memphis star Ja Morant scored 33 points and the Grizzlies led by as many as 31 on Saturday in a 135-115 mauling of the Orlando Magic.
Morant scored 22 points in the first half and sat out the fourth quarter with the Grizzlies well on their way to a fifth NBA victory in six games.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 21 points and Steven Adams contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds for Memphis, who connected on 50.5% of their shots from the field and out-scored the Magic 68-34 in the paint.
Morant handed out seven assists, and his many highlights of the night included a third-quarter behind-the-back pass to Ziaire Williams, who found De'Anthony Melton for a dunk that put the Grizzlies up by 31.
Cole Anthony scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half for the Magic who at 12-42 own the worst record in the league but who have beaten four of the top eight seeds in the Western Conference.
Wendell Carter had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts, whose two-game home winning streak was halted.
Morant's exploits -- he hit 14 of 21 shots from the field and also blocked two shots -- came after he was listed as questionable to play with a sore foot.
He didn't appear to be hindered as he hit five of eight shots on the way to 12 points in the first quarter, when the Grizzlies used a 14-0 scoring run to blow open the game.
The game was one of six on Saturday's slate, which also featured the league-leading Phoenix Suns at the Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers star LeBron James was expected to start after missing five games with swelling in his left knee.
L. Pchartschoy--BTZ
