“I play hard,” Brooks said. “The media gave me the villain role, so I’m just taking it and doing what I need to do with it.”

Ja Morant’s family wore hoodies that said, “Redemption.” But Morant said he just wants a second chance. That began Wednesday at FedExForum against the Houston Rockets. It was a sweet — and emotional — night. 

NBA box score for the Wednesday, March 22 game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets.

After an eight-game suspension and one more on the sideline, Memphis Grizzlies’ superstar Ja Morant dropped in 17 points with five assists in a 130-125 Grizzlies victory that clinched the Southwest division title. 

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Box score: Grizzlies 130, Rockets 125

Ja Morant may be back — but he’s not exactly himself. Given everything that has happened in his life lately, isn’t that a good thing?

The Grizzlies guard will miss his third game this season due to a suspension. He leads the NBA in technical fouls with 18. 

The superstar guard stepped behind a microphone for the first time since rejoining the Memphis Grizzlies following a suspension for conduct detrimental to the league.

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Herrington: Morant is set to return, but the Grizzlies weren’t just waiting around

With Ja Morant in the building for the first time since his league suspension, the Grizzlies erased a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks. 

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Ja Morant’s back, and his teammates show the love

Box score: Grizzlies 112, Mavericks 108

Grizzlies Insider: Memphis not concerned with playoff seeding

NBA box score for the Memphis Grizzlies game against the Dallas Mavericks at FedExForum on Monday, March 20, 2023.

“Finishing strong and staying healthy, those are the main things for us,” Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks said. “We want to have a little momentum going into the playoffs.”

While Ja Morant’s image has taken a hit, experts say a forgiving public when it comes to sports figures gives him plenty of opportunity to change the narrative. 

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Grizzlies announce that Ja Morant will not play Monday

Morant is eligible to return to the team on Monday, March 20, after serving an eight-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league, but the team announced that he will not play against the Mavericks.

Dillon Brooks said he plans to call the camera person that he injured with a push during the loss at Miami on Wednesday, March 15. He said the incident was unintentional.

NBA box score for the Saturday, March 18 game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors.

Dillon Brooks was of the utmost annoyance to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. The Grizzlies guard held Steph Curry to 16 points on 33% shooting.

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Box score: Grizzlies 133, Warriors 119

Dillon Brooks apologizes to camera person he injured

Actor Eddie Ramos co-starred in AT&T’s March Madness commercial with the Grizzlies center, who had everyone laughing. 

The Memphis Grizzlies erased a 29-point deficit on Friday night to stun the Spurs in overtime, 126-120.

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Box score: Grizzlies 126, Spurs 120 (OT)

Dillon Brooks fined for pushing camera person

Here’s the Box score for the Memphis Grizzlies-San Antonio Spurs game at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on March 17, 2023.

The Memphis Grizzlies guard was fined $35,000 for “the unsportsmanlike act of shoving a camera person on the sideline after pursuing a loose ball,” the NBA announced Friday.

In the full interview, Ja Morant said the negative publicity has been tough on him because he knows that his parents raised him right. 

Just how tight is this race going to be? The computer models at several analytics websites project the two teams will finish within one game at the end of the regular season. 

The Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Miami Heat in Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.

The Heat shot 59.8% from the floor and 44.8% from the 3-point line to run away from the Grizzlies in a dominant win. 

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Box score: Heat 138, Grizzlies 119