Ja Morant Impresses NBA Fans in Return from Injury Despite Grizzlies Loss to Rockets

Two of the top three teams in the Western Conference faced off on Thursday night, with the Houston Rockets taking down Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies 119-115 at FedExForum.

The Grizzlies erased a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to trail by one point with just over one minute remaining, but a jumper from Fred VanVleet pushed the Rockets' lead to three and ultimately proved to be the difference in the win.

Morant made his return after missing five games due to a shoulder injury, but the star point guard didn't show many signs of rust.

He scored a team-high 27 points on 9-22 shooting, hitting one of his five attempts from three-point territory. Morant also recorded three assists, three rebounds and one steal in 29 minutes of action.

Fans praised his performance.

The Grizzlies struggled with ball security against a tough Rockets defense, committing 19 turnovers while compiling just 20 assists.

For Houston, Alperen Şengün finished with a double-double by scoring 32 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. He also dished out five assists, shooting 12-20 from the field.

The Grizzlies dropped to 24-14 while the Rockets improved to 25-12, as Memphis fell 1.5 games behind the No. 2 spot in the West.