Smith turned to his co-panellist Tim Legler and said that when it comes to who is the best player in the West between Luka Doncic and Ja Morant, the latter takes the plaudits.
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The Memphis Grizzlies were without Ja Morant for Game 4 and they were beaten by the Golden State Warriors. Morant has been playing close to MVP level basketball this season and his absence was sorely felt by the Grizzlies who only lost the game by 3 points. Outspoken NBA pundit and analyst, Stephen A. Smith said that right now in current form, Morant is the best player in the Western Conference. Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, Smith turned to his co-panellist Tim Legler and said that when it comes to who is the best player in the West between Luka Doncic and Ja Morant, the latter takes the plaudits.
Smith said, “When I look at Luka, Luka is big time, no doubt about it. I see that percentage-wise, he is struggling from the perimeter. I still see the struggles from the free-throw line. I haven’t seen that from Ja. I mean, last time I checked, Memphis is still in this thing. They are down 3-1 instead of 2-2 but that might have a lot to do with the fact that Ja missed Game 4 last night. All I am saying to you is, you tell me I got one or the other, why wouldn’t I pick Ja right now based on these playoffs?
Smith continued, “Overall, we look at Luka’s game, his poise, plays at his own pace, he dictates plays. We’ve seen how sensational he is as a player and I am not taking anything away from him but Ja Morant has been that dude and has been a superstar in every sense of the word and has been utterly unstoppable and spectacular and every bit as, if not more than Luka Doncic in these playoffs. Would you deny that?”
Read more: “If James Harden plays like this, then the Miami Heat are in trouble” – Stephen A. Smith
Stephen Curry converted eight free throws over the final 45.7 seconds on the way to 32 points, igniting the Warriors down the stretch on the way to a 101-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night and a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Curry also dished out eight assists as Golden State rallied to win without Kerr after he tested positive for COVID-19 less than two hours before tipoff. “Obviously there’s butterflies, because again you’re going into the game with a certain mindset and it’s a big game. Every game that we play at this point in the year, it’s huge,” said Brown, who agreed Sunday to become the Sacramento Kings’ new coach after this postseason run.
