Ja Morant continues to prove he’s a walking highlight reel, producing a stunning dunk against the Boston Celtics to remind the world why he’s must-watch television.
Atlanta Hawks sensation Trae Young had ice running through his veins as he stepped up with a series of late three-pointers to secure a needed win for his team.
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MORANT PROVES HE’S ‘MOST ELECTRIFYING PLAYER’ IN THE NBA
Not even another highlight reel moment from Ja Morant was enough to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to victory, as the Boston Celtics won 120-107.
Morant dropped 38 pooints on the Celtics, but the main moment occurred late in the second quarter.
Grizzlies teammate Kyle Anderson nicking the ball from a Celtics man before Morant picked up the loose ball.
He drove up the court before lobbing the ball up to Anderson who had joined him on the fast break, only for him to return the favour as Morant emphatically threw down a left-handed dunk.
While it may have been a moment of individual brilliance for Morant and the Grizzlies, it was a team effort from the Celtics so far as six of their players hit double-figures for scoring.
Robert Williams III, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Grant Williams piled up the points for Boston inside the TD Garden, as the sixth-placed Celtics continued to put distance between themselves and the chasing Raptors and the Nets in the Eastern Conference.
Tatum led the team in points, scoring 37 with Horford chipping in with a valuable 21 points of his own.
‘ICE COLD’ TRAE HANDS HAWKS HUGE WIN
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young stepped up when his team needed it most, racking up 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead his side to a 130-124 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Young scored 39 points in total along with 13 rebounds to ensure the Hawks stay within touching distance of an automatic playoffs spot.
The 23-year-old’s late heroics were nothing short of epic, producing multiple moments of magic in the final minute of action.
The Hawks piled on 40 points in the final quarter to secure a win, with Bogdan Bogdanovic also chipping in 20 to help the cause.
DURANT RETURNS AFTER 21 GAMES OUT BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR NETS WIN
In his first game in more than six weeks, Kevin Durant often looked like the superstar the Nets remembered, but Brooklyn still watched a 16-point first-half lead disappear in a 113-107 loss to the first-place (but depleted) Heat at Barclays Centre, Brooklyn.
Durant may be back, but he did not immediately slow the free fall. Brooklyn went 5-16 without the face of the franchise, plummeting all the way to eighth in the Eastern Conference and likely destined for a spot in the play-in tournament. The Nets (32-32) are .500 for the first time since they were 3-3.
Durant cannot be blamed after going off for 31 points on 10 of 21 shooting while grinding through 35 minutes in his first game in a month and a half. But with a new-look Nets roster, the Heat looked more composed and shot better in the second half.
Bam Adebayo (30 points) far outplayed Andre Drummond, Max Strus and Caleb Martin (a combined 9 of 17 from 3) were more potent than Seth Curry and Patty Mills, and one superstar wasn’t enough for the Nets.
The Nets dominated the first half, and Miami dominated the third quarter, setting the stage for a seesaw fourth.
Brooklyn rested Durant for the first five minutes of the period, during which Miami built an eight-point lead that featured a spectacular lob from Tyler Herro, who was at the arc, to a streaking Adebayo, throwing it down in Drummond’s face.
Durant subbed back in with 6:58 left and led an inspired run in which the Nets cut the gap to two with two-and-a-half minutes left with a Durant jumper followed by his free throws. Bruce Brown (21 points) rejected Gabe Vincent’s 3, but Curry and Durant then missed their own, killing the rally.
After building what felt like a comfortable advantage on the back of Durant’s 17 first-half points, the Nets were sloppy against Miami’s zone defense in the game-changing third quarter.
The Heat — playing without three-fifths of their starting lineup — used a 21-8 burst, which included a 14-0 run, out of the halftime break to take control.
The Nets could not get enough stops in a game Miami shot 51.9 percent from the floor.
The Heat (42-22) didn’t seem to miss Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry or P.J. Tucker, who were dealing with various issues on the second night of a back-to-back.
The second-half collapse wiped away so much of the first-half good feeling around Durant.
Durant watched Miami’s Omer Yurtseven back off him, so he launched a deep two for his first points in 47 days. He followed those up with a turnaround before connecting on a fadeaway. He could overpower or he could finesse.
In the second, he watched the defense key on him and saw Brown rolling to the hoop for an easy layup to make it 44-32. Miami did not slack off to help on Drummond underneath, who was able to bruise his way for a layup.
Durant’s presence was felt everywhere and he seemed to be everywhere — including in the refs’ ear as he earned a technical in the second.
The struggling Mills knocked down his first four 3s, and the Nets began 9 of 18 from deep before they cooled.
The roles of Mills and Curry became even more important Thursday, when the Nets announced sharpshooter Joe Harris needs a second surgery that will knock him out for the season.
-This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission
ALL SCORES
HAWKS 130 BULLS 124
CELTICS 120 GRIZZLIES 107
RAPTORS 106 PISTONS 108
NETS 107 HEAT 113
MAVERICKS 122 WARRIORS 113
SPURS 112 KINGS 115
CLIPPERS v LAKERS