SI

Ja Morant Was So Badly Posterized by Jarrett Allen That He Could Only Smile

Hey, he tried.

Brigid Kennedy

Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant and Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen on Feb. 23, 2025.
Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant and Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen on Feb. 23, 2025. / ESPN / Screenshot
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Well, he tried.

In an attempt at stopping a huge dunk from Jarrett Allen during Sunday night's Cleveland Cavaliers–Memphis Grizzlies game, Ja Morant was so brutally posterized that he couldn't help but laugh about it.

Morant basically hugged Allen as the center successfully went up for the slam ... and continued to hug him when the pair came back down. Both players were smiling and laughing in the aftermath, which saw them move off the court. Some friendly competition—you love to see it.

Again, you got to give it to Morant for trying. Watch that hilarious moment below:

Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell then followed that dunk with an even filthier one of his own, sailing up to the rim to extend the Cavs lead to eight points with roughly a minute left in the contest.

The Cavs ultimately walked away with a 129–123 win, but not every moment of the game was as "kumbaya" as the Morant-Allen moment would suggest. A skirmish broke out between Mitchell and the Grizzlies' Desmond Bane during the middle of the third, which ultimately led to technical fouls on both players, as well as Morant and Tristan Thompson.

With the win, Cleveland (47-10) has at the very least clinched a play-in spot, but will likely claim a much higher seed heading into playoffs.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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