The Memphis Grizzlies narrowly escaped with a much-needed win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. Ja Morant was a major catalyst in the game as he led his team in scoring. He then bared his motivation to lift his team to a victory over Damian Lillard and company on Twitter after their game.

He also hyped up his returning teammate in Jaren Jackson who notched an efficient 23 point-output in just his second game back from a meniscus injury.

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On Friday night, the two teams saw a tight encounter right from the get-go as both sides were eager to get the much-needed victory. After several back-and-forth exchanges in crunch time, the Blazers had a good chance to win the game but Jusuf Nurkic badly missed a shot under the basket with 2.1 seconds left in the shot clock.

Lillard also failed to convert two crucial free throws in the final seconds which allowed the Grizzlies to run away with a 130-128 win. The triumph lifted Memphis to a 30-28 record for the eighth spot in the Western Conference and kept Portland at bay with a 32-27 record in the seventh seed.

Despite the win, the Grizzlies will still have to give their best effort in their coming games in order to further climb up the standings and secure a postseason seat in the West.

Fortunately for Ja Morant, he will have a lighter scoring load to carry on his shoulders now that Jaren Jackson Jr. is finally healthy and ready to contribute to the Grizzlies' playoff aspirations this season.