Memphis Grizzlies @ Utah Jazz
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT | Game ID: 22400070
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
UTA 23 27 36 38 124MEM 29 32 32 33 126
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Ja Morant has 22 points and 10 assists in return, leads Grizzlies to season-opening win over Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY -- — Ja Morant had 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in his return to action to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 126-124 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Morant appeared in just nine games last season after serving a 25-game league suspension before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. Santi Aldama scored 27 points and Desmond Bane added 24 more for the Grizzlies.
Lauri Markkanen had 35 points and nine rebounds for Utah. Jordan Clarkson chipped in for 17 points and seven assists off the bench. Walker Kessler had 16 points and 14 rebounds.
The Jazz erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and tied it at 116 on Kessler’s tip-in with 2:48 left. Aldama scored back-to-back baskets to put the Grizzlies in front for good.
Takeaways Grizzlies: Memphis cooked the Jazz from the perimeter for the bulk of four quarters. Aldama, Bane, and Jay Huff combined for 12 of the Grizzlies' 17 3-poiners.
Jazz: Sloppiness on offense undermined Utah’s efforts to rally until the fourth quarter. The Jazz committed 16 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Memphis, in the first three quarters.
Key moment After trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half, Utah took a 105-104 lead with 6:45 left after a 17-3 run. Taylor Hendricks and Markkanen combined for two baskets and four free throws in the run to set up a tight finish.
Key stat Huff had 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, marking just the fourth time in his NBA career – and the first time in two seasons – that he's scored in the double digits.
Up next The Grizzlies visit Houston on Friday, and the Jazz host Golden State on the same night.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MEMBC B. Clarke
DB D. Bane
JH J. Huff
JK J. Konchar
JL J. LaRavia
JM J. Morant
JW J. Wells
MS M. Smart
SA S. Aldama
SP S. Pippen Jr.
ZE Z. Edey
UTABS B. Sensabaugh
CS C. Sexton
CW C. Williams
JC J. Clarkson
JC J. Collins
KG K. George
LM L. Markkanen
PM P. Mills
TH T. Hendricks
WK W. Kessler
MEM/UTA the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur