Ja Morant scored 32 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out nine assists to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 127-121 victory over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. This win gave the Grizzlies their first victory in Boston since 2013.
The victory ended Boston’s six-game winning streak against Memphis. The Grizzlies had lost 16 of their last 17 matchups with the Celtics, including the last 10 games played in Boston.
Boston was ahead 103-99, but Memphis went on a 10-0 run to take a six-point lead with 7:19 left in the game. The Grizzlies managed to hold on to that lead for the rest of the game.
Jaren Jackson Jr. contributed 27 points, nine rebounds, and three steals for Memphis. The Grizzlies hit 15 of 33 three-point shots. Jackson scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. Boston struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 18 of 60 from three-point range. Jrue Holiday added 23 points, and both Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown scored 22 points each.
Sam Hauser of the Celtics left the game in the first half due to tightness in his right adductor and did not return.
Marcus Smart, who played his first nine NBA seasons with the Celtics before being traded to Memphis, had a tough game, making just 1 of 11 shots and scoring only three points.
The loss ended Boston’s three-game winning streak and its seven-game home winning streak.
Memphis took an early 18-8 lead with a 10-0 run and ended the first quarter up 31-27. The Grizzlies extended their lead to 12 points after a Morant basket with 29.8 seconds left in the first half, leading 66-54 at the break. Boston shot just 36 percent from the field in the first half and made only 9 of 31 three-point attempts.
Pritchard’s three-pointer capped a 13-3 run, cutting the Grizzlies’ lead to 88-86 with 1:37 left in the third quarter. However, Memphis still led 94-89 heading into the fourth quarter.
