National Basketball Association
Memphis 89, Miami 85
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials: #61 Courtney Kirkland, #38 Michael Smith, #83 Andy Nagy
Attendance: 2217

Ja Morant scored on a driving, lefty layup with 1.2 seconds left as the host Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Miami Heat 89-85 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

Morant, who scored a team-high-tying 13 points, beat five-time All-Star Jimmy Butler on the layup, dribbling the length of the court to snap an 85-85 tie.

Miami's Bam Adebayo then turned the ball over on a risky pass underneath, and Kyle Anderson sank two game-clinching free throws.

Anderson and De'Anthony Melton also had 13 points for the Grizzlies, and Dillon Brooks scored 10. Jonas Valanciunas had 12 rebounds and seven points. Melton, a 6-foot-2 reserve guard, added a career-high 10 rebounds and a season-high-tying six assists.

Miami had its six-game road winning streak and its five-game overall winning streak snapped. The Heat are 11-2 in their past 13 games.

Butler put up a game-high 24 points. Adebayo had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in just his second game back from a knee injury.

Justise Winslow, Miami's first-round pick in 2015, played his first game against the Heat since they traded him to Memphis on Feb. 6, 2020. He had five points on 2-for-8 shooting.

The game was a homecoming for Heat rookie Precious Achiuwa, a former University of Memphis star. He had two points and five rebounds in 10 minutes.

There were six lead changes and four tie scores in a first quarter that ended with Memphis on top 25-21.

The Heat didn't lead in the second quarter until a layup by Max Strus with 34.1 seconds left gave Miami a 47-46 advantage that stood at halftime.

Miami dominated most of the third, but Memphis closed the quarter on a 17-0 run, taking a 72-63 lead into the fourth.

In the fourth, Miami put together a 7-0 run to tie the score at 83. Then, with 29.4 seconds left, Melton grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws.

The Heat's Goran Dragic sank two free throws with 8.9 seconds left to tie the score at 85, and that set the stage for Morant.

For the game, neither team made better than 36 percent of its shots from the floor, but the Grizzlies prevailed with six more free throws and two more 3-pointers.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Miami   Memphis
Jimmy Butler 24 Scoring Kyle Anderson 13
Bam Adebayo 6 Assists De'Anthony Melton 6
Bam Adebayo 12 Rebounds Jonas Valanciunas 12
Bam Adebayo 5 Free Throws Made Brandon Clarke 4
Bam Adebayo 1 Steals De'Anthony Melton 2
Tyler Herro 1 Blocks Brandon Clarke 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Miami 85 36.0 8-34 13-18 17 51 2 4 11
Memphis 89 35.3 10-42 19-25 22 50 4 5 10
Upcoming Games
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .471 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Miami will play their next game at home against Indiana. The Heat have a W/L % of .565 after a win and .500 after a loss.