LONDON (AP) — Ja Morant had 24 points and 13 assists in his return to the lineup to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 126-109 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday in the first NBA regular-season game in London since 2019.
Jock Landale added 21 points and 8 rebounds and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 17 points as Memphis avenged its 118-111 loss to Orlando in Berlin on Thursday in the first of their European doubleheader.
Orlando trailed by 33 points in the first half before reducing the deficit to 17 on Paolo Banchero’s 3-pointer to make it 108-91 with 8:15 left in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies closed it out from there.
Anthony Black led the Magic with 19 points and Wendell Carter Jr. added 18 points and 7 rebounds. Banchero finished with 16 on 7 of 20 shooting. He also had 9 assists and 8 rebounds.
Morant had missed six games because of a right calf injury and provided an immediate spark for a Grizzlies team that had lost seven of nine. The two-time All Star started and had 20 points and 10 assists in the first half.
Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said in pregame comments that Morant would be on a minutes restriction. The star logged 28:24 minutes overall.
Magic forward Franz Wagner had 14 points in his second game back since missing five weeks with a high ankle sprain. Orlando was 10 of 33 from behind the arc.
The game at London’s O2 Arena was the 10th regular-season game in the English capital. The first one was March 4, 2011.
Europe is set to host two more regular-season games in 2027. The host cities are Paris and Manchester, England. In 2028, Paris and Berlin will host games.
Up next
Magic: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.
Grizzlies: Host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
