Ja Morant won the game at the buzzer on Thursday night, but he may not have done so cleanly.
The Memphis Grizzlies star Morant was the hero against the Miami Heat, winning the game with triple zeroes on the clock. With the score tied 108-108 and time winding down in the fourth quarter, Morant got Heat rookie center Kel’el Ware switched onto him. He drove on Ware and created just enough space to shoot a midrange jumper that hit the front of the rim and bounced in as time expired.
But a closer look at Morant’s shot seemingly revealed multiple violations. Most glaringly, Morant appeared to travel on his stepback, doing a double shuffle of his feet to create the space necessary in order to get the shot off over the seven-footer Ware. Plenty of users on social media pointed out that it looked like Morant had traveled.
Additionally, some made the argument that Morant also committed an offensive foul by pushing off on Ware to get separation. While NBA very rarely calls offensive fouls for arm extensions like that, the apparent push-off only amplified the conversation over Morant’s game-winning shot.
In addition, the NBA had just cautioned the two-time All-Star Morant not to make a gun gesture, which caused controversy during the game against the Heat. Despite all of the criticism, Morant emerged victorious on Thursday, scoring 30 points and making the game-winning buzzer-beater to earn Memphis their 45th win of the year.
