Morant’s 4th-quarter burst, Jackson’s last-second block give Grizzlies 105-104 win over Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. — — Ja Morant scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Jaren Jackson Jr. blocked a driving floater by Orlando’s Paolo Banchero in the final second to give the Memphis Grizzlies a 105-104 win over the Magic on Friday night.
Desmond Bane, who finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, provided the Grizzlies with their margin of victory with a free throw with 45.2 seconds remaining. Memphis’ Santi Aldama missed two free throws with 10.7 seconds left before Banchero’s failed final drive.
Franz Wagner led the Magic with 25 points. Banchero added 21 points on 5 for 21 shooting and Cole Anthony had 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Orlando.
Jackson had 16 points and three blocks.
After the Grizzlies missed 19 of their first 21 3-point shots, GG Jackson II made three of the Grizzlies’ four 3-pointers during a 19-0 third-quarter run that erased a 19-point Magic lead.
Takeaways
Grizzlies: The Grizzlies avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season, overcoming 7-for-33 3-point shooting and 15 turnovers. They are 8-2 on the second night of back-to-backs.
Magic: Playing for the 21st time in their last 22 games without guard Jalen Suggs (left quad contusion), the Magic came up a point short in the first game of a seven-game homestand.
Key moment
With 2:05 remaining and Orlando up by two, a replay reversal gave the ball out of bounds to the Grizzlies after Morant had tapped it away from Wagner. Ten seconds later Morant tied the game with the game’s final field goal.
Key stat
The Magic missed 10 free throws, including four in the fourth quarter.
Up next
Grizzlies: Play at Cleveland on Sunday night.
Magic: Play Washington at home on Sunday night.
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Memphis Grizzlies
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Morant’s 4th-quarter burst, Jackson’s last-second block give Grizzlies 105-104 win over Magic
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MEM wins 2-0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEM | 29 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 105 |
| ORL | 22 | 31 | 30 | 21 | 104 |
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 37 | 19 | .661 | – | W1 |
| Houston | 34 | 21 | .618 | 2.5 | L1 |
| Dallas | 30 | 26 | .536 | 7 | W2 |
| San Antonio | 24 | 29 | .453 | 11.5 | W1 |
| New Orleans | 13 | 42 | .236 | 23.5 | W1 |
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 28 | 30 | .483 | – | L1 |
| Miami | 26 | 28 | .481 | – | W1 |
| Atlanta | 26 | 30 | .464 | 1 | L2 |
| Charlotte | 14 | 40 | .259 | 12 | L1 |
| Washington | 9 | 46 | .164 | 17.5 | L5 |
ORLANDO, Fla. — On a night when the Magic and Grizzlies were each playing in the second game of a back-to-back after traveling, Memphis outlasted Orlando on the road.
Despite a combined 63 points from Franz Wagner (25), Paolo Banchero (21) and Cole Anthony (17), Orlando was unable to find a way late to stave off Memphis at Kia Center on Friday night in a 105-104 loss.
Banchero’s driving floating shot in the closing moments was blocked by Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. after Magic coach Jamahl Mosley opted to not call a timeout with 11 seconds left on the clock.
Moments prior, Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama missed two free throws to keep the score a one-point game.
Both sides led by double digits, with Orlando leading by as many as 19 in the third quarter. The contest was tied 11 times and included six lead changes.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the Magic defeated the Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta while the Grizzlies fell on the road at Indiana.
The loss was Orlando’s 11th at home this season as the group fell to 4-6 in games that fall on the second night of a back-to-back.
Friday’s contest was the first of a seven-game homestand. The Magic host the Wizards on Sunday.
Led by Wagner, the Magic did a solid job attacking the paint throughout the night.
After a two-point first quarter, Wagner found his rhythm on the offensive end when he shot 3 of 5 near the rim and pieced together a nine-point second frame.
Wagner twice connected with Wendell Carter Jr. for a pair of alley-oops in the first half. Carter notched a double-double for the second time in the past three games by way of 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Anthony reached double-digit scoring for the third straight game as he totaled 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists starting again in place of the injured Jalen Suggs (left quad contusion).
Banchero played only eight minutes before halftime, all of which came in the first quarter, after he picked up his third foul with with 52.2 seconds left in the opening frame. But his persistence paid off in the second half.
While Banchero eventually had success on offense, the same couldn’t be side for either side shooting from 3-point range.
Orlando and Memphis shot a combined 2 of 17 from distance in the first quarter and it didn’t get any better as the night went on. Both teams shot below 30% on 3s.
And although the Magic totaled 52 points in the paint, the Grizzlies totaled 56 as Orlando failed to protect the paint.
In addition, the Magic missed 10 free throws after missing 12 at Atlanta.
Mosley was assessed a technical foul at the 7:43 mark of the second quarter after he complained following a non-call during a Wagner layup.
Mosley repeatedly called on the officials to call the game “the same way” for both Orlando and Memphis.
Later in the second quarter, Magic assistant Dale Osbourne was given a technical foul as well.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (9 points) also earned a tech four minutes into the second half.
Tristan da Silva hit Orlando’s first 3 of the night in the closing seconds of the opening frame.
The No. 18 pick added five more points before halftime to total eight with three assists and two rebounds in 17 minutes.
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