The Memphis Grizzlies received good news Friday as it became clear star point guard Ja Morant is moving closer to a return.
The face of the franchise is with the team in Chicago and is listed as doubtful for Saturday night’s game against the Bulls.
It is the first time Morant hasn’t been ruled out since sustaining hip and pelvic injuries in a hard fall during a contest against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 6. The Grizzlies are 4-3 without him.
Getting Morant back in the mix would be a good development for a team that recently saw shooting guard Desmond Bane return from an oblique injury.
Bane enjoyed his best outing in four games since his return during Wednesday’s 117-111 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
He recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and knocked down five 3-pointers. Bane was just 2 of 16 from 3-point range over the previous three games.
“It’ll come around,” Bane told reporters of his 3-point shooting. “With me, it always does. I just trust the work I’ve put in, and I know I’m building up my conditioning and getting everything back. My teammates and coaches believe in me, so I don’t really worry about any of that stuff.”
The victory over Philadelphia also marked the 215th career win for coach Taylor Jenkins, surpassing the franchise record held by Lionel Hollins.
Jenkins is in his sixth season with the Grizzlies.
“It’s an unbelievable honor to be among the company of so many great coaches that have come before me,” Jenkins said. “I always talk about the unbelievable responsibility of being the coach of this franchise. It’s a privilege and an honor.
“It’s not about me at the end of the day. We’ve got a lot more work to do. But I wake up every day being happy. It’s an absolute blessing to be in this position.”
The Bulls beat the Grizzlies in Memphis on Oct. 28 in their first meeting of the season. Zach LaVine scored 30 points in the 126-123 victory. LaVine has three straight solid games, averaging 26 points during the stretch while making 15 of 29 3-point attempts.
In Friday’s 136-122 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks, LaVine scored 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field. He made four 3-pointers.
LaVine said his recent solid shooting is due to an increase in comfort level.
“I’m picking my spots better this year,” he said. “You want to have everybody have a rhythm. If I need to come out aggressive, I should do that, but you don’t want to have guys not touch the ball until the third quarter when it really matters.”
LaVine is averaging 22.3 points in 14 games this season. He is displaying the form that led him to average more than 23 points per game in five straight seasons before last season’s injury-riddled campaign limited him to 25 games and a 19.5-point average.
LaVine eventually underwent season-ending foot surgery. He also dealt with more criticism than he had ever previously faced, and his attitude dropped a notch due to the frustration that came with not being able to play.
“I can’t make everybody happy,” LaVine said. “I can’t control if people are wrong or right about their own opinions. I can just go out here and try to continue to do the best I can for myself, my family, my team. I’m being true to myself. That’s a peace in itself.”
Last month’s victory was Chicago’s fourth straight over Memphis.
