Three days after their first duel in Berlin, Orlando et Memphis rounded off these European “Global Games” by stopping in London. The opportunity to see again Ja Morant in uniform, after six matches of absence, and his return allowed his Grizzlies to quietly dominate the Magic.
As in Germany, Memphis attacks hard in England. With Ja Morant at the helm, he runs, gets easy shots and falls in. Coming off the bench, Cam Spencer lines up the 3-pointers and Jock Landale wanders under the panels. Jaren Jackson Jr. may be in the way, the rest of the team is excellent and it makes for a one-sided first quarter: 40-23! Orlando, for his part, suffers from a lack of long-distance success.
Rested, Ja Morant returns to business and, thanks to his baskets and his passes, the Grizzlies achieve a 15-0 which places them at… +30. Everything is right, everything works and the London public witnesses a real demonstration of the showman Morant. Upon his exit, the Magic took the opportunity to wake up somewhat, with the intensity of rookie Jase Richardson, then Wendell Carter Jr. who started behind the arc, making the gap more acceptable (72-53).
Ja Morant put on the show
But the man of this first period is obviously Ja Morant, already in a “double-double” (20 points and 10 assists, 5/7 shooting, 3/3 3-pointers and 7/9 shooting), involved in 44 of his team’s 72 points and became the third player to accumulate at least 20 points, 10 assists and 0 turnovers at halftime of a match, since 1996.
After the break, Memphis’ lead was stabilized around twenty points. Orlando is trying to get back on track with its starters, but Jock Landale and the Tennessee team do not want to relive the scenario of the first match in Berlin, when they saw their +20 advantage disappear as the minutes passed.
The fourth quarter did not allow the Magic to get back into the game. External success is certainly on the rise, but that is not enough to shake up this great Grizzlies team, which has the answer to everything at the O2 Arena in London. In the wake of an attractive Ja Morant (24 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds), for what was perhaps his last outing with the franchise that drafted him.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Ja Morant played again and seduced. He had been absent since January 2, because of his calf (and transfer rumors?), but Ja Morant ended up returning to action, during this well-attended trip to London. On national television, he took the opportunity to sign a delicious performance, validating his “double-double” at half-time and wasting very little in all areas of the game, to propel his team to a big victory. The kind of performance worthy of the All-Star that he was and which will not fail to give pause to certain teams who were hesitant to get him back before the trade deadline.
– This time, Memphis held. Beaten on Thursday, after having a 20-point lead in the first half, the Grizzlies counted… 33, three days later. And they didn’t let go of this advantage. Once again, they entered their match very well, with Ja Morant in all the good moves and Jock Landale ultra efficient coming off the bench, Tuomas Iisalo’s men knocked out. the Magic from the first minutes. With 3-pointers, offensive rebounds and baskets near the circle, while the Floridians continued to accumulate failures and suffer to fall back on defense. A real correction.
– See you in 2027. After Berlin and London this year, the NBA will set up shop in Paris and Manchester in a year, for its now traditional “Global Games” in Europe. All that remains is to know the identity of the two teams who will face each other, during this year 2027 which will be marked by the launch of the “NBA Europe” project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah5zXcH_O54
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
