On December 21, Beijing time, the NBA regular season, the Thunder challenged the Grizzlies away. The Grizzlies, who once scored a 16-point lead in the first half, were frequently played by the Thunder after the offensive climax to complete the score reversal. The two sides alternated points several times in the final quarter, and the game needed to be fought until the last minute to decide the winner. With Alexander's key dunk, Morant served a fatal error and Alexander's free throw sealed the win for the team. In the end, the Thunder narrowly defeated the Grizzlies 102-99 on the road, giving their opponents a losing streak.
For the Thunder, this game can complete a headwind reversal, which is undoubtedly a successful revenge against the Grizzlies. When the two teams last met this season, the Thunder's two biggest ball carriers, Alexander and Gidy, were absent in succession, and the team had no one to undertake tandem work, appeared unpaced at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and was slaughtered by the Grizzlies by 73 points, creating the largest point difference in the history of the league and encountering a humiliating battle. This game made the Thunder a shame.
The contrast is Grizzlies star Morant, who made a comeback after missing the team's last 12 games. During this time, he suffered a knee injury and triggered a health safety agreement, which was very difficult. He had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists in the game, but made five turnovers. A service error at a crucial moment prevented the Grizzlies from achieving an equaliser and became the fuse for the team to bury the game.
What bothered Morant the most was that during his injury absence, the Grizzlies achieved a good record of 10 wins and 2 losses, and the ranking jumped to 4th in the West. It should be known that before Morant was injured, the team only achieved 9 wins and 10 losses, and the record has been very difficult, and the winning rate is always hovering around 50%. This also bears witness to the fans' saying that "winning is not terrible, and who is missing is embarrassing". Now as soon as he returns to the team, he is overturned by the Thunder at the bottom of the West, and Morant's situation is very embarrassing.
The Grizzlies home fans turned against each other at a critical point in the game, believing the team didn't need Morante to let him go off. He said in a post-match interview that it was very heartbreaking when he heard the fans shouting for him to sit back and not play again. "In the past, these voices would inspire me and make me work harder. But this time I was disappointed to hear the fans say these words. They were cheering for me a while ago, and now they're saying things like that. The various remarks tonight really hurt me. Morant said sadly.
Morant then announced on his personal social media account that he would close his social media account for a while, and if everyone needed to call him, love is always love. It seems that the fans' remarks put a lot of pressure on Morant, and all the voices have had a great impact on him.
In response, his teammate Bane spoke out in support of Morant in a post-match interview. Bane said the Grizzlies are Morant's team, he is the team's leader, and everyone will follow in his footsteps. "We are very eager to win this game and Morant has taken on the responsibilities of a star. The idea that we would get better without Morant is nonsense, and everyone just wants some talk. Bane said.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)