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Ja Morant drills 3-pointer, curses out James Harden after being left alone by Rockets star

Thirty-five games into his NBA career, Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant is more than making a name for himself in the league.

He would just like that name to reach Houston Rockets star James Harden.

Facing Harden and the Rockets on Tuesday, Morant found himself with the ball on the perimeter and Harden guarding him. Morant drifted back to halfcourt, with Harden staying multiple steps inside the 3-point line.

Morant’s response: drilling one of the more open 3-pointers of his professional career. As he ran back down the court, Morant could be seen saying something that doesn’t require an expert lip-reader to decipher.

“Tell that motherf---ker about me.”

Jan 14, 2020; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) handles the ball against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Ja Morant, remember the name. (Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports)

Morant took things a step further later in the game, hitting Harden with his own signature step-back 3-pointer to extend the Grizzlies’ lead to nine points.

To be fair to Harden, 3-point shooting isn’t exactly the loudest weapon at Morant’s disposal right now. The 20-year-old was averaging 2.3 attempts from deep per game entering Tuesday. However, he’s making them at a 39 percent clip — and 40.9 percent on pull-ups — so maybe don’t leave him alone on the perimeter like he’s Ben Simmons.

Of course plenty of people are going to have heard about Ja Morant by the end of the season. The second overall pick in last year’s draft is the clear leader in the Rookie of the Year race with 17.8 points and 6.9 assists per game, with a 56.4 true shooting percentage.

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