Ja Morant's crunch time mind games backfire in Grizzlies L to Kings

With the Grizzlies trailing by one and Kings guard Malik Monk on the charity stripe, Ja Morant talked some smack... which backfired.

Ja Morant came oh-so-close to snatching victory from the jaws of defeat for the Memphis Grizzlies. With the Sacramento Kings up by double-digits in the fourth quarter, Morant went scorched earth, scoring 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to bring Memphis to within striking distance late in the game.

However, Morant may have bitten off more than he could chew.

With the Grizzlies trailing by one, 109-108, and Kings guard Malik Monk on the charity stripe, Ja Morant went behind Monk and talked some smack. Morant kept jawing at Monk, telling him “don't miss” in an attempt to pull of reverse psychology shenanigans. Monk, however, remained unfazed as he calmly sank two free-throws to push the lead to a safer three points.

On the ensuing possession, with the Grizzlies looking to tie the game with a three-ball, De'Aaron Fox confoundingly fouled Morant on a three-point attempt, sending the 23-year old guard, who, at that point, has gone 8/12 from the free-throw line, to the charity stripe with a chance to send the game to overtime. But Morant failed to heed his own advice not to miss, as he crucially rimmed out the first freebie.

Ja kept telling Malik Monk: "don't miss" while shooting FT's up one with four seconds left… Monk hit both

Ja went to the line later with a chance to tie it and missed 2/3. Kings win. 😬 pic.twitter.com/HcpxLZVl6J

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 23, 2022

To make matters worse, Ja Morant ended up leaving the free-throw circle before the ball even hit the rim during his last-ditch attempt to rescue the game for Memphis. De'Aaron Fox then drove the final nail into the Grizzlies' coffins after he went perfect from the line to extend the lead to four, 113-109, which ended up being the game's final score.

Still, Morant's performance should be cause for excitement for Grizzlies fans, his free-throw struggles notwithstanding. The 23-year old All-Star was initially deemed to be week-to-week after he sprained his ankle against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Morant made a miraculous recovery, stepping foot on the court a mere four days after his injury, and he proceeded to tally 34 points, seven boards, and six dimes in 34 minutes of action.

The Grizzlies will look to return to winning ways when they face the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, while the Kings look to keep the beam lit as they travel to face the Atlanta Hawks in the second night of a back-to-back.