Grizzlies crush Hornets, but lose Jaylen Wells to injury

Field Level Media|published: Tue 8th April, 22:12 2025

NBA: Memphis Grizzlies at Charlotte Hornets

Apr 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate (14) gets the ball stripped by Memphis Grizzlies forward center Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Ja Morant scored 28 points and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the host Charlotte Hornets 124-100 on Tuesday night despite witnessing a potentially devastating injury to one of their starters.

Memphis rookie Jaylen Wells left the court on a stretcher late in the first half after crashing hard to the court.

Wells was going up for a dunk when Hornets guard KJ Simpson fouled him from behind, an undercut that left Wells in a vulnerable position. Simpson was ejected as a result when the foul was upgraded to Flagrant 2.

Players from both teams were kneeling in prayer as medical staff tended to Wells. His dunk gave Memphis a 62-44 lead with 1:10 to play in the second quarter.

Desmond Bane racked up 19 points, Zach Edey had 17 points and 19 rebounds and Jaren Jackson Jr. posted 14 points for Memphis (47-32), which has won three in a row. Off the bench, Santi Aldama had 11 points and Scotty Pippen Jr. added 10 points.

Wells had three points, five rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes.

Miles Bridges led the Hornets (19-60) in their home finale with 13 points. Tidjane Salaun provided 12 in a reserve role, Josh Okogie supplied 11 and Moussa Diabate had 10.

The Grizzlies jumped out to a 33-18 lead after the first quarter and excelled in transition. Memphis also controlled the boards, finishing with a 52-38 rebounding advantage.

Morant, who missed the team's previous game, made four 3-point attempts, going 10-for-21 from the field while also delivering a game-high eight assists. The Grizzlies attempted more than half of their shots from beyond the 3-point arc (18 of 55) and shot 45.2 percent (42 of 93) from the field.

The Hornets' shooting woes continued as they were 11-for-37 on 3-point attempts. They didn't help themselves at the free-throw line with a 14-for-21 mark. Charlotte finished at 45.7 percent (37 of 81) from the field.

Charlotte, which lost by 12 in January at Memphis, finished 12-29 at home. The Hornets will complete their season with three road games.

--Field Level Media

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