Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant put on his cape Tuesday night, rescuing his team from almost certain doom if they were to lose both home games to start their second-round series against the Golden State Warriors. Morant scored the Grizzlies' final 15 points in Game 2 to wind up with 47 points in a 106-101 win, joining LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the only players with multiple 45-point playoff games before the age of 23.
Morant took to Twitter after the game to react to this feat:
bron & bean 😱🙏🏽 https://t.co/8UCWv2GUU3
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) May 4, 2022
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Morant previously scored 47 points in a Game 2 loss to the Utah Jazz in the first round of last season's playoffs. This time around, Morant's 47 points came in a much-needed Game 2 victory. Memphis found itself in another dogfight against Golden State, facing several deficits in the fourth quarter despite the Warriors' inability to shoot from outside (7-of-38 on 3-pointers). Morant came to the rescue with his dominance down the stretch to tie the series at 1-1, keeping the Grizzlies' hopes alive.
As for the other two legends, LeBron had his first 45-point playoff game in his third season when he put up 45 on the Washington Wizards. Then in 2006-07, he had his famous 48-point explosion against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in which he scored 25 straight points.
Kobe hit the 45-point mark during the 2001 run to the NBA title. Bryant put up 48 points in a second-round win over the Sacramento Kings and then 45 points in the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
Morant's birthday isn't until the summer, so the Grizzlies star will have the opportunity to add even more 45-point games before 23 years old to his resume.
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