Tuesday night’s 115-113 Memphis Grizzlies victory over the New Orleans Pelicans featured a game-winning floater as time expired, set up by a spectacular move in the lane by Ja Morant, who finished with 34 points in his season debut.

With 1:22 remaining, Morant’s inside basket gave the Grizzlies, who had lost their previous five games and were 6-19 during his 25-game suspension due to his social media antics involving weapons, a 113-111 lead at the half.

Before Morant’s game-winning three-pointer, the Pelicans knotted the score and both sides missed three-pointers.

Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 for Memphis, who also ended the Pelicans’ four-game winning run.

For New Orleans, Brandon Ingram scored 34 points, while Zion Williamson only managed 13 points due to foul trouble that limited his playing time.

Angry Pelicans supporters booed Morant loudly both before the game and when he handled the ball on the first possession.

As the game went on, those jeers subsided, and some of the visiting supporters by the Memphis bench raised their voices when Jared Curry scored eight points in a minute and twenty-two seconds early in the third quarter, twice making tough driving baskets while getting fouled.

LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was seated in the front row of the new New Orleans bench next to Tigers wide receiver Malik Nabers, was among the witnesses seeing Morant’s return.

Morant didn’t hit many jumpers and occasionally appeared exhausted, but his ability to drive into the paint and finish was unaffected. He could perform finger rolls, double-pump bank shots while hanging in the air, and crossover dribbles to set up high floaters in the lane.

With an 11-0 run that started late in the first half and carried into the third quarter, Memphis tied the score at 60-47 and managed to get back into the game.

Shortly after, Herb Jones fouled Morant, who then converted a floater off the board and cut the lead to 69-62 while converting a spinning dribble in the lane into a basket.

From then on, the game was competitive as Morant kept coming up with strategies to keep New Orleans from unwinding.

For New Orleans, Jonas Valanciunas finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds. 18 more points were scored by CJ McCollum on six three-pointers.

McCollum hit four three-pointers and Ingram drove the lane for a spectacular right-handed dunk as New Orleans embarked on a 28-2 run.

With two more free throws, Ingram ended the run, bringing the score to 53-31.

Vince Williams of Memphis hit the horn with a corner three, and New Orleans went into halftime ahead 60–41.

It was only the third time that Morant and Williamson, the top two picks in the 2019 NBA draft, had appeared in the same game despite playing in the same division. This was primarily due to Williamson’s health problems.