NEW YORK – Yes Morant could barely stand and needed a wheelchair to take him out of court after spraining his left ankle.
After losing their first two games, the Memphis Grizzlies lose the NBA Newcomer of the Year and their best player.
“A moment like this can really test you, but our guys just kept fighting,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.
And Morant was there to look after them.
The Grizzlies scored their first win of the season, extending the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 116-111 overtime.
Morant was injured late in the first half when he jumped after a shot from Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and landed on the foot of the Nets forward. Morant immediately jumped off the floor and then lay on the floor in pain before being driven to the back of the arena.
He rejoined his teammates on the bench in the second half, with his foot in a walking boot, providing energy and support to carry them through a tense finish.
“He’s a team player. He loves his group, “said teammate Dillon Brooks.
Morant saw Brandon Clarke score the run basket on a follow-up shot with 41 seconds left before the Grizzlies conceded it with free throws.
Morant averaged 36 points in the two defeats and a career-high 44 in the season opener, but the Grizzlies found enough offense without him on Monday.
“Incredible display of resilience by our group,” Jenkins said.
Kyle Anderson scored a career-high 28 points and Brooks added 24 for the Grizzlies. Clarke had 16 points and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
“We knew it was a game we had to win, no matter what,” Clarke said.
Caris LeVert had 28 points and 11 shots for the Nets, which rested Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as they lost the second straight night. Brooklyn is also without Spencer Dinwiddie, who is going to undergo surgery to repair a partially torn right ACL that was inflicted on Sunday.
With both stars returning from injury this season, the Nets decided on Sunday night to rest Durant after playing a season-high in a loss to Charlotte for 36 minutes. They listed him on the injury report Monday morning. Irving was added a few hours later.
The players who were forced to take on bigger roles may have lost in overtime, when the Nets scored five points from LeVert, but nothing more and shot 2 for 10.
“Early in the season I think guys are still adapting to rugby, let alone overtime rugby,” Nets coach Steve Nash said.
Neither team led by more than seven in the second half, when there were 16 lead changes, so it was no surprise when they needed another five minutes after LeVert missed a three-pointer in the last possession. not.
TIPS
Grizzlies: Memphis has embarked on a three-hour journey. … Anderson’s previous career high point came in the last game when he had 20 points against Atlanta.
Nets: Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 21 points, but only two after halftime. … The Nets have opened a home game for six games, the longest since six games at Barclays Center during the 2015-’16 season.
SPENCER’S OPERATION
The Nets said Dinwiddie would have surgery next week, after which further updates will be provided. In an Instagram message, Dinwiddie recalls that she returned from university with a serious knee injury seven months later. ‘Next question: will I miss the road to a (at) Brooklynnets 2021 Championship? My answer: As we have seen before. “Certain things have happened,” he wrote.
BACK IN BROOKLINE
The Grizzlies were the last visiting team to win in Brooklyn – nine months ago. They crushed the Nets 118-79 on March 4, a week before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus.
FOLLOWING
Grizzlies: Try to lose a nine game against Boston on Wednesday.
Nets: Play the first of two consecutive home games against Atlanta on Wednesday.
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