The Memphis Grizzlies knew they needed some big plays on Friday night if they wished to beat the Dallas Mavericks and enter the playoffs.

That is exactly what they got from Ja Morant.

Even though he was nursing a hurt ankle, Morant still produced a powerful dunk that had fans on their feet.

After Santi Aldama missed a shot at the rim, Morant flew high and created a putback dunk that immediately started making the rounds online.

The NBA on ESPN was just one of the many outlets replaying the dunk again and again on X.

This angle of Ja Morant’s dunk 😳

(via @MemphisSheri) pic.twitter.com/ScYQBdigEu

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 19, 2025

It was surprising to see Morant produce this play for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, his ankle was hurt, and there were questions about him playing at all on Friday night.

He was a game-time decision but was able to play because of injections in his ankle.

Secondly, it was only a few months ago when Morant said he wouldn’t be dunking anymore because he was trying to take better care of his body.

Throughout his career, Morant has been a dunk artist many times, and most of his work has earned a lot of praise and attention.

But that takes a toll on his body, and it’s one of the reasons why he has been getting hurt more often.

However, Morant showed up to win on Friday, and he wasn’t going to let his team go home.

So even though it may have done more damage to his ankle, Morant was happy to catch air, create this dunk, and help his team earn the victory.

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