Ja Morant said he wasn’t going for a historic performance in his first game back from a 25-game suspension. 

He did one better. 

On Tuesday, Morant not only made history in a 115-113 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. He scored the game-winning shot in his first game back, too. 

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Morant spun into the lane and flipped up a floater as time expired. It hit the back of the rim and then dropped through as the red lights lit up the backboard. 

It was Morant’s 12th field goal of the night. It was his 33rd and 34th points, which is the most in league history for a player after returning from a 25-game absence or more. 

Everything about the performance wowed. At times single-handedly, Morant willed his team back from a 24-point deficit and took over in the second half to steal away victory. 

It was a reminder of what is possible with a superstar point guard at the helm. It was also a reminder of what it looks like when the Grizzlies find their joy. 

And let’s be honest, they had lost it for a while. 

“Christmas is coming early,” said Memphis teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. after another depressing loss at home to the Rockets last week. 

Jackson was talking about Morant’s Dec. 19 return. And he was right. 

Like Santa Claus, Morant gave Grizzlies fans what they had been wishing for all season. He came back and, immediately, was undeniably awesome. 

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“I’m a dawg,” Morant said to TNT as teammates mobbed him at center court. “I’ve been putting the work in. I ain’t played a game in eight months. I had a lot of time to learn myself. I had a lot of hard days where I went through it, but basketball is my life and what I love. It’s therapeutic for me. 

“I’m just excited to be back.”

All eyes on Morant

Stars from across the sport and beyond took to social media to welcome Morant back from suspension on Tuesday. 

Former teammate Tyus Jones tagged Morant in a tweet a couple hours before the game. LeBron James also shared encouragement for the Memphis point guard.

“12 welcome back!!,” James posted. “GO be GREAT again!!”

Hip-hop producer Metro Boomin also shared the love, posting, “Ja Morant returns to basketball today!!”

To which Morant replied: “Metrooo.”

Ja Morant talks about his return

Morant started the game with a drive to the basket that led to a hack on the arm and two free throws. Thirty-eight seconds into his first game of the season, he made the first and missed the second.

A possession later, he grabbed an offensive rebound on a miss by Bismack Biyombo and finished a reverse layup for his first field goal of the season. 

From the jump, Morant set out to make the experience feel different. Pay no mind to the fact that he started modestly. 

Morant wove through the defense and lifted left-handed layups over defenders for scores. He zipped his way past the defense and threw lobs to Ziaire Williams and Jaren Jackson Jr.

It was a reminder of all of the great things Morant can provide, and the struggles the Grizzlies are still facing. 

No one could complete the highlight for Memphis early on. Morant missed several shots around the rim after great drives to get an angle. Biyombo fumbled a few scoring opportunities. So did Xavier Tillman Sr. on a behind-the-back pass. 

The Pelicans smacked Memphis with a 28-2 run over a 7-minute stretch, pulling in front by 20. Memphis went over 5 minutes without scoring. Desmond Bane couldn’t buy a bucket, starting 3-for-11 from the floor. 

The excitement was sucked out of the air for Grizzlies fans hoping for the spectacular. Instead, there was TNT play-by-play man Brian Anderson pointing out the obvious as Memphis stumbled into a big hole. 

“I know Grizzlies fans and Ja Morant fans are excited for his return,” Anderson said. “But this team has personnel problems.”

Not at point guard!

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The difference

In the NBA, one player can change the dynamic of an entire team. 

Far too many times the Grizzlies got huge nights in the box score from Bane and Jackson during a blowout loss. 

On Tuesday, Bane and Jackson really struggled in the early going while Morant tried to shoulder the load offensively. He had just enough energy to close the gap.

Bane scored 21, but on 8-for-19 shooting. He also had four turnovers. Jackson, meanwhile, was hit with his fourth foul early in the third quarter and played fewer than 30 minutes. 

Morant responded by hitting turbo in the third quarter and scoring 13, leading a charge back to cut the gap to single digits. His strong play covered an otherwise poor offensive night.

Turnovers and poor 3-point shooting (still an area of major concern) were costly for the Grizzlies. In the end, they didn’t matter. 

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Memphis coughed the ball up 18 times, resulting in 26 Pelicans points. They made just 10 of 31 3-point attempts, keeping them 29th in team 3-point percentage league wide. 

Morant himself went 0-for-5 from behind the arc.

But he was a blur with the ball in his hands. He was as electrifying as usual. He was so clutch when his team needed him. 

“Ja came up to me and asked me if we wanted to run a post up for Jaren,” Bane said about the final timeout before the game winner. 

“I said, ‘No, we’re about to get you the ball.’”

The rest is history, even if Morant didn’t intend to make it. 

“I felt like it was the perfect ending to a perfect day,” Morant said. “... It’s a lot of emotions throughout our whole family. We all was pretty much excited. It was like, ‘Yeah, Ja is back, but kind of sad in a sense. Having (my dad) back courtside, being able to root for me but this team was big time.”

Up next

Morant and the Grizzlies (7-19) will return home on Thursday, Dec. 21, to take on the Indiana Pacers at 7 p.m. (Bally Sports Southeast).