Ja Morant returned to the lineup after missing the previous six games with a right calf contusion and had 24 points and a season-high 13 assists to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 126-109 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday in London.
Morant, the subject of trade discussions ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, made 7 of 13 shots, including 3 of 4 from long range. He was appearing in just his 19th game of the season.
Jock Landale came off the bench to contribute 21 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies, while Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 17 points and five boards. Rookie Cedric Coward scored 13 points.
Orlando, which beat Memphis 118-111 Thursday in Berlin, was led by Anthony Black with 19 points and six assists. Wendell Carter Jr. had 18 points and seven boards and Paolo Banchero finished with 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Franz Wagner had 14 points.
Morant played at an All-Star level from the outset. He had six assists in the opening six minutes and finished the first half with 20 points and 10 assists in 15 minutes to pace the Grizzlies to a 72-53 lead at the break.
While Memphis led by 19 at halftime, it had built a 33-point cushion midway through the second quarter with a 23-7 run. Orlando regrouped to finish the half on a 23-9 run.
But in the second half the Grizzlies, who had squandered large leads in their previous three games, never allowed the Magic to close the gap. Although Orlando trimmed the Memphis advantage to 16 points to start the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Black, the Grizzlies consistently pushed their lead to 20 or more until the waning minutes.
The London matchup had an All-Star Game feel. Commissioner Adam Silver was in attendance, as were former league All-Stars Isaiah Thomas, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Detlef Schrempf.
–Field Level Media
