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The Memphis Grizzlies only recently hired coach Tuomas Iisalo.
Still, he knew what to do when the Grizzlies were tied with the Miami Heat in the closing seconds Thursday.
Ja Morant hit the winning bucket at the buzzer that ended the Heat’s six-game winning streak. Afterward, Morant said the Grizzlies had the perfect plan. The goal was avoiding him on isolation against Bam Adebayo and Davion Mitchell, two of the Heat’s best best defenders.
“We came out of the timeout knowing we were going away from Mitchell and Bam,” Morant said. “Everybody else, you’re on an island.”
The play-calling from Tuomas came just a few weeks after the Grizzlies fired coach Taylor Jenkins, who lost his job despite having the team in the playoff picture.
“It’s what everybody wants,” Morant said. “I just put a lot of pressure on myself to go out and deliver every time.”
It also helped Morant deflect attention from his latest controversy. This week the NBA issued a warning to him for flashing a gun-shooting gesture toward the Golden State Warriors bench. Morant brushed it aside because he’s used to dealing with it. He was suspended multiple games in 2023 because of similar incidents that ranged from brandishing guns on social media.
“I feel like I’ve been the villain for the last two years,” Morant said. “Not even to just this crowd.”
