MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The FedExForum crowd roared as soon as Ja Morant got off the bench and walked to the scorer's table several minutes into the first quarter on Wednesday, making sure the All-Star point guard felt at home in his first appearance since his eight-game suspension.
The Memphis Grizzlies fans gave Morant a standing ovation when he checked into the game after a timeout with 3:05 remaining in the quarter and cheered loudly as he brought the ball up the court the first time. The crowd gave Morant another standing ovation after his first bucket, when he cut down the middle of the floor, received a pass from Desmond Bane and finished with an acrobatic and-1 layup.