MY ACCOUNT
LeBron James could not help but admire Ja Morant’s astonishing block for the Memphis Grizzlies in their 127-119 defeat of the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
James top-scored with 35 points and added seven assists for the Lakers, taking him above Oscar Robertson (9,887) for the seventh most in NBA history.
But his efforts was ultimately relegated to a mere footnote afterwards, with Morant attracting headlines and acclaim for his Michael Jordan-esque block on Avery Bradley in the first quarter.
Morant had been robbed by Bradley at the other end but the 22-year-old All-Star contender darted back and came out from behind his rival to smash the ball off the glass with both hands following a lay-up attempt.
He was not going to be modest about it, saying after the game: “I just got back and made an incredible play.
“I was just trying to gather the ball. Most of the time on a break like that, if you block it, they might have a player trailing to get the ball and lay it up.
“It worked out perfect for me. Now I’m probably all over the internet for it.”
Indeed he was, and among those applauding his efforts was James, clearly impressed even if the incident was to the Lakers’ detriment.
“It starts with timing and also just stalking your prey,” James said. “And that’s exactly what Ja was doing that whole play, and I saw it happen.
“I didn’t know he was going to do it in that fashion, but they got rockets in his calf muscles. It was just a spectacular play.”
Russell Westbrook was less willing to dish out praise, though, producing a typically curt response.
“It was a block,” he said.
But Jaren Jackson Jr. was not having that, lauding it as arguably the greatest such intervention he had seen in basketball.
“That’s probably the best block I’ve ever seen live, probably the best block I’ve ever seen, period,” he said.
“That was crazy. I knew he was going to do it, too, because he always loads up right before.”
Victory saw the Grizzlies improve to 28-14, giving them the fourth-best record in the Western Conference.
It also ensured they set a new franchise record of nine successive wins, having previously racked up eight in a row on four separate occasions.
