Ja Morant's highlight dunk, late heroics ignite Memphis Grizzlies' rally for Game 5 win over Minnesota Timberwolves

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After scuffling through a frustrating first three quarters, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant exploded with a vengeance Tuesday night in one of the most compelling closing performances in recent postseason history. His exploits fueled a fourth-quarter rally that lifted the Grizzlies to a 111-109 win in Game 5, and a 3-2 series lead.

Morant's late heroics started when he elevated for an emphatic driving highlight dunk in the closing seconds of the third quarter over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley, sending an electric current through FedEx Forum. The slam trimmed the Grizzlies' deficit to 11 points, and roused Morant and his teammates from what was a miserable first 36 minutes of basketball.

«I always get the best view of his dunks,» Grizzlies big man Brandon Clarke said. «I was right there. I was like, yo, he just brought the ball all the way back and flushed it hard. That's a play that can really get us going, can really get us hyped.»

Morant scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and ignited his team as the Grizzlies roared back to stage their second big comeback of the series. While the 11-point deficit was a far cry from the 21-point margin Memphis overcame in Game 3, the significance of Morant's play has larger repercussions for a team that has been desperate for a transcendent display from its superstar.

Morant averaged 20 points, 10.8 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 turnovers, with an unexceptional true shooting percentage of 50.4, in the first four games of the series. Though he'd paced the Grizzlies to a win in Game 2, and leveraged the pressure exerted by Minnesota's defense to find teammates, he'd had a difficult time finding a balance between speed and control.

Such was the case over