Ja Morant and the unbeaten Portland Trail Blazers host the unbeaten Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday in the first of three meetings this season.
The Story
Ja Morant’s first chance to play the organization that traded him arrives on Thursday, when he faces the Memphis Grizzlies as they take on the Portland Trail Blazers.
Both teams enter the matchup unbeaten: Memphis is 4-0 and second in the Western Conference standings after wins over the Utah Jazz (twice), the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings. Portland is 3-0 after victories over the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers.
Morant, in his first year with Portland after his departure from Memphis, is averaging 16.3 points on a 58.8% field-goal rate and 44.4% shooting from beyond the arc, along with 6.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
Named the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year, Morant spent seven seasons with the Grizzlies. His most productive Memphis season came in 2021-22, when he won NBA Most Improved Player, earned All-NBA Second Team honours and made his first All-Star appearance, finishing seventh in MVP voting. Over his Memphis tenure, he made two All-Star appearances.
In his final three seasons with Memphis, Morant played in 79 of 246 regular-season games (32%) amid injuries and off-court issues. Memphis later moved on from its former No. 2 overall draft pick, trading him to Portland in July in exchange for Kris Murray and Jerami Grant.
The Grizzlies’ start has been driven by their strength on the glass and in shot-making efficiency. Memphis is 10th in points per game (116.8), second in rebounds per game (50) and 20th in assists per game (25). Defensively measured by offence, the Grizzlies are 19th in field-goal percentage (45.3) but third in 3-point percentage (39.1), making 14.8 threes per game.
Portland counters with a high-volume scoring pace, leading the league at 129.3 points per game. The Blazers are ninth in rebounding (46.3) and second in assists (30.7), and they are third in field-goal percentage (51.1) and fifth in 3-point shooting (38.9), hitting a league-leading 17 threes per game.
Deni Avdija spearheads Portland’s early output with 22.3 points per game, seven rebounds and 6.3 assists, shooting 48.9% overall and 43.8% from three. Damian Lillard adds 21.7 points per game with 4.3 rebounds and four assists, shooting 45.2% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.
For Memphis, Ty Jerome has emerged early with averages of 29.8 points, 6.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds, while shooting 50.6% from the field, 30.7% from three and 87.9% at the free-throw line. Rookie Cameron Boozer is contributing a double-double of 14.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, even with struggles from the field.
Historically, Portland has dominated the matchup, leading the all-time series 63-49 and holding a 34-23 home mark against Memphis. Last year’s season series finished 3-1 in Portland’s favour, including a win by as much as 20 points and a loss by as many as 23. The Thursday meeting is the first of three meetings this year between the teams, and it is the only bout in Portland.
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