MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ The Nets have been nothing if not exciting in three games, but they are having trouble closing the show. For the third straight game, they squandered a fourth-quarter lead. Ja Morant scored eight of the Grizzlies' last 10 points in regulation, blocked a shot by Kyrie Irving at the buzzer and then fed Jae Crowder for a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of a 134-133 overtime victory over the Nets Sunday night at FedEx Forum.
A pair of layups by No. 2 overall rookie draft pick Morant to open the fourth period pulled the Grizzlies within one point and served as a reminder of how the Nets blew fourth-quarter leads in the first two games. When Morant drained a three at the 7:51 mark, the Grizzlies were back in front briefly at 105-104. The Nets regained the lead on a bucket by Caris LeVert just before Irving returned to action with 6:39 left.
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson altered his approach by going with a three-guard backcourt of Irving, LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie down the stretch. After going down 110-108 on a Brandon Clarke dunk at 5:00, the Nets went on a 10-0 surge, including five points each by LeVert and Irving to take their biggest lead at 118-110 on Irving's corner three with 3:20 to go.
