It’s hard to have a March NBA game with more stakes than this Lakers–Grizzlies matchup. And much falls on the shoulders of Ja Morant.
The two teams are tied at 44-29 and are currently the fourth and fifth seeds in the West, respectively. With two games separating them from the third seed (Nuggets) and the sixth seed (Clippers), this game may decide who gets home-court advantage in the first-round 4-5 series.
What’s more is the context surrounding these teams. The Lakers are one LeBron James buzzer-beating tip in away from a five-game losing streak as they weather absences from the King and Luka Doncic. After a dominant stretch of basketball post-Luka acquisition, they seem adrift. And it pales in comparison to the Grizzlies.
Memphis has been in bad shape since the trade deadline. They’re 9-13 since salary-dumping Marcus Smart and inexplicably moving Jake LaRavia, including a 0-9 mark against teams above .500. Throw in a shoving match on the sidelines, and you have the cherry on top of a coach-firing sundae.
Both teams are looking to stem the tide of losing. One team desperately needs to prove competency after canning their coach. And one player above all will seek to prove himself tonight: Temetrius Jamel Morant.
Here is the featured Ja Morant prop bet on the DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday’s matchup against the Lakers.
To say it’s been a rough season for Ja would be an understatement. His scoring average is down for the fourth straight year. He’s wrestled with injuries and issues with the new Memphis offense, one that de-emphasized pick-and-roll. It’s worked well for Jaren Jackson Jr. and other Grizzlies players, but the lack of on-ball touches for Morant is an issue.
Miraculously, Morant appears to be healthy after the firing of Taylor Jenkins and will return for this pivotal matchup. The proponents of the motion-heavy offense have been excised like a malign disease. Interim coach Tuomas Iisalo is a heavy pick-and-roll proponent, going back to his time coaching in Europe, and I think this will be a major boon for Morant’s scoring numbers down the stretch.
What also bodes well is that Morant has taken 38 total field goal attempts in his two matchups with the Lakers this year. If he’s going to play in a more comfortable system against a team that can hardly defend him, he’s gonna get those shots up. Ja seems like a guy who will go off simply out of spite for his former coach. I’d even consider a light sprinkle on 30+ points at +475 odds.
