Published 13:38 IST, December 21st 2019
Ja Morant nearly ends Kevin Love's NBA career with Vince Carter-like poster dunk
Ja Morant'seffort came up short with the Dunk of the Season as Love tried to attempt a foul. The officials didn’t call a charge on Morant and let play continue.
The Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 12-point deficit in Quarter 4 to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-107 in their Friday evening NBA game. This was the second time that the Cavaliers won back-to-back games this season. Jordan Clarkson top scored with 33 points, while Kevin Love chipped in with 21 points, including five 3-pointers and 13 rebounds. Love's clutch shot gave the Cavaliers a 109-107 lead with 1 minute and 3 seconds left. Collin Sexton made three free throws and rookie Darius Garland added two to put the game away.
Ja Morant dunk that missed the rim
Memphis Grizzlies blew away their lead to hand Cavaliers the victory. Even though Memphis lost the game, their rookie Ja Morant nearly shot a poster dunk that was more worthy of the highlight reel. Midway through the first quarter, Ja Morant picked up a loose ball at the top of the 3 point arc. He exploded into the open space in front of him and prepared himself to launch towards the basket, Kevin Love stepped in to try and draw a charge but instead, Ja Morant decided to just jump over Love. Unfortunately, he came up short with the dunk. The officials didn’t call a charge on Morant and let play continue. Even though Morant didn’t complete the hurdle, the attempt was stunning from every angle, reminding many of Vince Carter.
Vince Carter dunk
Former Atlanta Hawks star Vince Carter made this legendary dunk while playing for the United States at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He jumped over a 7-foot player Frederic Weis to make that dunk. Had Morant made that dunk, he would have been right up there with Carter and also ended the “dunk of the season” debate right now. Morant is averaging 18.4 points, 6.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals across 23 starts.
Updated 16:18 IST, December 21st 2019