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Ja Morant breaks out finger guns again after reportedly receiving warning from NBA, then hits buzzer-beater

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Ja Morant does not appear interested in changing his ways, though he at least ended Thursday on a positive note.

The Memphis Grizzlies star whipped out his finger guns celebration again during a game against the Miami Heat, which might be a bit of an issue because the NBA reportedly issued a warning against him Wednesday for the same celebration.

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This time, he did it less than five minutes into the first quarter, on his first basket of the game.

The key image:

Morant did the same thing after a 3-pointer at the 10:10 mark of the third quarter as well.

What he did in the fourth quarter was better for the Grizzlies. With the score tied 108-108, Morant got a couple favorable bounces on a fadeaway jumper to win it for Memphis at the buzzer. The win snapped a four-game losing streak.

Morant previously made the finger-gun gesture toward the bench of the Golden State Warriors during a game Tuesday. The taunt was noticed by multiple members of the Warriors, with Draymond Green appealing to officials after noticing what the All-Star point guard was doing.

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Notably, Morant appeared to be making the finger guns toward the Grizzlies bench on Thursday, rather than the Heat bench.

Morant received a technical foul for his efforts, as did Warriors guard Buddy Hield after imitating the gesture. The next day, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the NBA was looking into the incident. The league ultimately issued warnings to Morant and Hield, but refrained from actual punishment because it determined the “celebrations were not intended to be violent in nature, but inappropriate and should refrain.”

The important context here is Morant’s history with guns and the NBA commissioner’s office.

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The 25-year-old has received multiple suspensions for incidents involving guns, with an eight-game suspension in 2023 after he flashed a gun during an Instagram live video. Two months later, he flashed a gun in a separate Instagram live video and received a 25-game suspension.

There was also an incident in which Indiana Pacers staff and security alleged someone in Morant’s SUV pointed a laser at them after a game, with the belief the laser was attached to a gun. And there was that time Morant allegedly punched a 17-year-old boy repeatedly and threatened him with a gun, though a judge later ruled that was self-defense.

Ja Morant got a 25-game suspension the last time he poked the bear. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The NBA has better things to do than police what gestures its players are and aren’t allowed to make during games. However, Morant might not be giving them much of a choice about intervening with all of that history. This is the second time he’s done something gun-related after the league voiced its disapproval for him doing that exact same thing.

Despite Thursday’s heroics, Morant remains embroiled in arguably the worst season of his career, with a career-worst 3.8 turnovers per game and some of the lowest shooting numbers of his career. The 44-32 Grizzlies remain in the playoff race, but fired head coach Taylor Jenkins and face an uncertain future, with Morant under contract for three more seasons after this one.

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