Ja Morant threw down what was easily one of the best dunks of the year over Jalen Smith during the Memphis Grizzlies’ 130-112 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Morant added 23 points and 10 assists to extend the team’s current win streak to nine games.
When asked whether the play was one of the best dunks of his career, Morant responded, “Yeah, easy,” before referencing the difficulty. He added: “It’s what everybody has been waiting for. I finally made it.”
Morant’s teammate, Desmond Bane added that he, “ain’t seen nothing like that one. That’s probably going to go down as dunk of the year.”
“Obviously we’re having fun out there, playing hard and playing together,” Bane further said.
Morant is currently in the midst of one of the best years of his short career. Following suit, he is gearing up for the release of his first signature shoe. The sneaker will make him the 23rd NBA athlete in history to receive his own signature sneaker with Nike.
Following Saturday’s win, the Grizzlies improve to 29-13, tied with the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference.
“We’re not playing perfect basketball,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said of the winning streak. “I’m just glad our guys are finding different ways to win, whether we’re playing with a lead or playing from behind. Each game has presented a different challenge for us and our guys have stayed the course.”
The loss brings the Pacers down to 23-21 on the season.
Check out Ja Morant’s ferocious dunk from Saturday night below.
OH MY GOODNESS JA MORANT
DUNK OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE pic.twitter.com/OQsyR28lKj
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2023
[Via]