Ja Morant scores 34 points, Grizzlies beat Wizards 115-95

MEMPHIS

Ja Morant scored 34 points, his sixth straight game of at least 30 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies built an early lead in a 115-95 victory over the Washington Wizards on Jan. 29 night.

“I don’t think there’s too many teams more exciting than us,” Morant said about the team chemistry and exciting plays that are part of the Grizzlies’ makeup.

Morant, picked as an All-Star starter for the Western Conference this week, was 15 of 27 from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. Desmond Bane had 19 points, and De’Anthony Melton added 13 to help the Grizzlies win their third straight and fourth in five games. Steven Adams had 10 points and 15 rebounds. with Memphis controlling the boards 60-37.

“The big key to the game was making sure we were taking away the paint, and making sure we got the 50-50 balls, and we did that,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.

The Grizzlies, who lost by 28 at Washington on Nov. 5, changed that direction early, building a double-digit lead that eventually reached 27 in the first half.

“We’re a much different team now than what we were back then,” Bane said about the improvement, particularly strides made on the defensive end. “We were kind of trying to find our identity, and they smacked us pretty good at their place.”