Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks celebrates during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on November 26, 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee. Justin Ford/Getty Images/AFP
Ja Morant left in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury, and the Memphis Grizzlies never recovered as the Atlanta Hawks cruised to a 132-100 win Friday in Memphis.
Morant came up hobbled after dribbling out of a double-team. The Grizzlies star avoided putting weight on his left leg after the non-contact play, and he returned to the bench wearing street clothes during the third quarter.
With its leader in both scoring and assists this season out, Memphis fell into a deep hole. Atlanta built a 14-point lead by halftime, then blew the game open with a 43-18 third quarter.
Trae Young paced Atlanta to its seventh consecutive win with 31 points and 10 assists. Young shot 12-of-16 from the floor and was one of four Hawks starters to make at least 72.7 percent of their field-goal attempts.
🔥 @TheTraeYoung tallies 31 PTS and 10 AST as the @ATLHawks earn their 7th-straight win! pic.twitter.com/ncepYeIOCr
— NBA (@NBA) November 27, 2021
Clint Capela went 11-of-14 for 23 points, John Collins shot 8-of-11 for 21 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic connected on 3-of-4 en route to eight points. Capela added 17 rebounds.
The Hawks shot a blistering 13-of-27 from 3-point range as a team, part of their 52-of-89 overall night, on their way to a season-high in scoring. Their field-goal percentage lingered around 60 percent until the game’s final minutes.
With its shots falling, Atlanta held Memphis to 37-of-91 shooting from the floor and ballooned the lead to as many as 39 points at the end of the third quarter.
John Konchar came off the bench to lead Memphis with 17 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 14 points, and Dillon Brooks chipped in 12 points but shot just 4-of-15 from the floor.
Tyus Jones added 10 points off the bench.
Friday’s loss was Memphis’ third in its last four games, and second since Nov. 20 by a margin of at least 32 points. The Grizzlies dropped a 138-95 decision at Minnesota last Saturday.