Ja Morant had a night to remember for the Memphis Grizzlies against the Utah Jazz, but that was not enough for his team to secure a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference opening playoff round (129-141 loss).
Morant was not excited with his record-breaking performance, despite Memphis loss to the top-seeded Utah Jazz in a night Donovan Mitchell returned after missing 17 games.
“We lost,” Morant said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “Obviously it wasn’t enough.” However, it was a historical individual performance for the Murray State product.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Morant’s 47 points was the most by a player age 21 or younger. The previous record was set by LeBron James, who scored 45.
The only other players to score 40+ in the postseason is Tracy McGrady, Magic Johnson and the Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
Morant was relentless helping the Grizzlies getting back from a 20-point deficit as he finished with 15-of-26 from the floor and 15-of-20 from the free throw against the top rim-protector of the league Rudy Gobert.
The Grizzlies will try to get one back over Utah heading back to Memphis for Games 3 and 4 of the 2021 NBA playoffs opening round.
