Ja Morant has officially returned to the Memphis Grizzlies lineup and Tyronn Lue's Clippers will have their work cut out for them on Friday. The Grizzlies have won four straight games with him in the lineup, and Thursday night's loss against the Denver Nuggets came without Morant.
On Friday, Ja Morant and the Grizzlies head to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers for the final time in Los Angeles. The matchup will be the fifth game of the season for Morant, who is averaging 28.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block on 50.6 percent shooting from the field.
“I think it’s going to have to be more team defense, one-on-one is going to be tough and we all have to be aware of where he’s at on the floor,” Tyronn Lue said of Ja Morant. “We understand we can’t give him any gaps or any seams because he can attack and get downhill and so it’s got to be collectively, it can’t be just one person trying to guard him and we got to make sure we’re giving him different looks and different coverages.
“Since he’s been back they’ve been playing really good basketball and having their best player back, their leader back, and it’s what Taylor’s been waiting for just trying to hold the fort down until he gets back and you see how dynamic they are once Ja, once he’s come back.”
Terance Mann to defend Ja Morant?
To start games, the Clippers have been placing Terance Mann on the opposing team's best player. It's allowed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to remain fresh for some of the fourth quarters they've had to step up in. The team will take a collective approach to defending Morant, but again, it will start with Mann.
“I mean, s**t, it's not going to be easy,” Terance Mann said ahead of the matchup. “He's a great player. He's a dog. I've been playing against him since my senior year in college, we played each other in the tournament. So this won't be our first rodeo. But just as the game goes along, you know, see if I can take away different stuff as the game goes on. He likes to do certain things that I'll try and take away. But he's a great player.”
Memphis has won four straight games with Morant back in the lineup — with Thursday night's loss to the Denver Nuggets excluded due to his absence as a result of an illness. Still, Morant's return from the 25-game suspension issued shortly after the 2023 NBA Finals has sparked even more excitement into this NBA season.
“I'm happy that he’s back, happy that he’s doing well, and it’s good of the game of basketball to have Ja back,” said Tyronn Lue. “It’s good to see.”
The Clippers have also gotten back on track with a win following their two-game losing streak against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. Star forward Kawhi Leonard, who missed both of those games, is questionable to participate in the contest due to a hip contusion. James Harden, Paul George, and the rest of the team are good to go.
With the Grizzlies coming into town for the final game of the 2023 calendar year, the Clippers will look to start the new year off on a high note. Entering Friday's game, the Clippers are 41-33 in the year 2023 while the Grizzlies are 39-38.
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