Fans in Memphis didn’t get to see Ja Morant dunk in the second half of the fourth quarter Thursday night, but not because he has sworn off dunking.
Morant picked up a second technical after reacting to a questionable foul call against him when contesting a DeMar DeRozan fadeaway. Morant was confused, and coach Taylor Jenkins was livid about the decision.
After the game, referee crew chief Pat Fraher admitted Morant should not have been whistled for a foul, saying he was ejected for pointing at an official and using profanity.
Memphis was up by one when Morant was ejected and went on to win, 115-110. Marcus Smart hit some key free throws down the stretch and had a strong game, scoring 18 points, as did Desmond Bane. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 15 points, and the Grizzlies got 60 points from their bench (compared to 15 for the Kings). DeRozan led all scorers with 26 and got to the line 14 times during the game.
One of those times sent Morant to the showers early.