The Memphis Grizzlies are currently facing an arduous test versus the Golden State Warriors in Tuesday's pivotal NBA Play-In Tournament matchup, but Ja Morant is not going down without a fight. The must-see point guard once again showed off his sublime skills at the rim, willing himself to a bucket in the second quarter.

The operative word being “himself.” Morant, a true master of creativity when it comes to attacking the basket, circumvented the Warriors' defense by slipping the ball under Jimmy Butler and throwing it off the backboard to himself for the layup, via ClutchPoints. It was not a conventional self-alley-oop a la Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady, but the difficulty level was off the charts.

Somehow, though, Morant made the terrific play look effortless. The depth of his bag of tricks seemingly has no limits. This is the time of the year when he must dig deep and throw everything at the competition. Otherwise, the Grizzlies are headed for a long offseason.

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Memphis can gain needed rest and a first-round NBA playoffs matchup versus the largely inexperienced Houston Rockets if it can leave the Chase Center with a victory. A loss will earn the Grizzlies a date with either the Sacramento Kings or Dallas Mavericks in the FedExForum Friday night. The best-case scenario would then be a series with the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder. Needless to say, toppling the Warriors is vitally important for the team's long-term postseason prospects.

And Ja Morant is vitally important to the Grizzlies. He scored 30 points or more in three of his last five regular season games, resembling his two-time All-Star self and not the version that missed 32 games with various injuries during the 2024-25 campaign. The Grizzlies need him to maintain his intensity the rest of the way.

Unfortunately, the 25-year-old suffered an apparent ankle injury and exited the game in the third quarter. He did return to action in the fourth, however. When Morant is on the floor, he is unlikely to hold back. No. 12 is always ready to charge into the teeth of the defense, regardless of the consequences.

The Grizzlies and Warriors are locked in a tight contest with less than eight minutes to go (at time of print).