LOS ANGELES – On Tuesday night, Memphis Grizzlies rookie point guard Ja Morant got his first look at a superstar duo in the NBA. The Murray State product faced the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time in his career and had to deal with the likes of superstars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Even though the Grizzlies were competitive in the first half, Davis made it incredibly tough for Memphis to stay in the game as he lived at the free-throw line all night long. Davis set a Lakers franchise record for free throws made with 26 and proceeded to dominate the Grizzlies, finishing with 40 points and 20 rebounds in 31 minutes.
The Lakers ultimately beat the Grizzlies by 29 points. After the game, Morant talked about what it was like to face the dynamic duo of Davis and James.
“I mean, obviously it's a wow moment, but once it's inside those four lines, they're an opponent,” Morant said of facing LeBron James and Anthony Davis. “I'm just going to try to go out and play my game and help my team.”
Along with having to contend with two of the best players in the league, Morant also had to contend with one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. Avery Bradley was tasked with trying to contain the talented rookie, and the 20-year-old talked about the experience going up against the savvy veteran following the loss.
“I just try to stay comfortable,” Morant said of playing against Bradley. “Just don't let him make me play his game. I feel like I was comfortable tonight. We played against a great team, a lot of good defenders, but like I said before, we've just got to finish all four quarters.”
In 25 minutes against the title-contending Lakers, Morant finished with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. It wasn't nearly enough to top one of the league's elite teams, but Morant will definitely be a player to watch in the years to come as he adjusts to playing on the highest level.
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