Watch: Ja Morant completes 360 finish, leads Grizzlies past Nuggets

Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant showed off his athleticism with an impressive 360-degree layup through several defenders in a win over the Denver Nuggets.

Morant totaled 18 points, six assists and six rebounds in the 108-106 victory Wednesday at FedExForum in Memphis. The third-year point guard deflected praise for his role in the victory late Wednesday on social media.

"Good team win," Morant tweeted. "Way to pick me up fellas."

Morant's acrobatic finish came at the end of the first half of the victory. He dribbled near half court as the Grizzlies trailed 55-54 with about six seconds left in the second quarter.

Morant used a quick dribble to split 6-foot-8 Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon and 6-foot-11 center Nikola Jokic on the right flank and flashed toward the 3-point arc.

Morant then picked up his dribble and flew into the paint, where he was met by Nuggets guard Will Barton. Morant planted his feet and turned his back to the defender as he jumped toward the rim.

He did a complete rotation and used his right hand to throw a shot through the rim, giving the Grizzlies a 56-55 edge at halftime.

The Nuggets outscored the Grizzlies 28-22 in the third quarter to take an 83-78 lead into the fourth. The Grizzlies, who led by as many as 20 points in the victory, outscored the Nuggets 30-23 down the stretch.

Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 11 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter of the win. Morant made 8 of 16 shots from the field. Desmond Bane and Kyle Anderson chipped in 16 points apiece for the Grizzlies.

Jokic scored a game-high 34 points and recorded 11 rebounds in the loss. Barton scored 26 points for the Nuggets.

Wednesday's game featured 19 lead changes and was tied seven times. The Grizzlies bench outscored the Nuggets bench 34-17. The Nuggets outscored the Grizzlies 60-46 in the paint and 21-15 on fastbreaks.

Morant, 22, averaged a career-high 27 points, 7.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game through his first eight starts this season. The 2019-20 Rookie of the Year averaged 19.1 points per game last season.

The Grizzlies (5-3) face the Washington Wizards (5-3) at 7 p.m. EDT Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The Nuggets (4-4) host the Houston Rockets (1-6) at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday at Ball Arena in Denver.