Tonight, as the Memphis Grizzlies take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, one player has all the eyes on him: Ja Morant. The Grizzlies’ star is returning today from a right calf strain and is playing back into shape, but one play from him stood out.

In the fourth quarter, with 4:55 left on the clock, Morant drove right at Utah Jazz forward Kevin Love, who attempted to take a charge. Morant jumped right at him, trying to dunk the ball, but hit the rim instead, bouncing the ball back out to teammate Jock Landale, who proceeded to knock down a three.

This kind of audacious play is exactly what Morant has been known for, and despite coming back from injury, the guard seems unafraid of leaning into the contact and going hard at his opponents, something that has to be reassuring given his shooting struggles this year.

The two had very different nights tonight, though. Morant had an inefficient night, which is expected after a 10-game absence due to injury. He logged 21 points on 7-20 shooting with 10 assists, four rebounds and a steal.

Love, on the other hand, had his best game of the season. The 37-year-old recorded a season-high 20 points, with eight rebounds, an assist and a steal with four threes in just 20 minutes off the bench. His scoring, along with Lauri Markkanen’s 26 and Keyonte George’s 39 led the Jazz to a 130-126 win, snapping a five-game losing streak against the Grizzlies.

Memphis missed big man Zach Edey amid their continued injury problems, and the center’s loss was a big reason for them going down to the Jazz. With Edey, the team is 7-4, with him anchoring the team’s defense and giving them a solid screen-setter, offensive rebounder, and go-to post scorer.

Morant’s almost-dunk, however, stole the attention.

Ja Morant’s Miss Against Kevin Love Turns Into a Moment the Internet Can’t Let Go

Social media immediately caught onto the deja vu. As soon as the clip surfaced, fans were quick to point out that this exact situation has played out before.

“And this not the first time either 😭😭😭😭,” one fan said.

Indeed, fans might remember that five years ago, in December 2019, rookie #2 pick Ja Morant faced off against then-Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, and at one point, drove right at Love, who tried to take a charge. People might remember what happened next: an incredible looking poster dunk missed as Morant hit the rim with the ball, bouncing it out.

Others online turned the joke back onto Love, sarcastically suggesting that the veteran forward failed to learn his lesson the first time.

“Kevin learned nothing from the first attempt few years ago 🤣🤣,” one comment read.

After the first missed dunk on him, Love tweeted out on X, joking that Morant nearly “ended his professional career” with the attempt, and praised the rookie on his athleticism, calling him “special.”

The humor didn’t stop there. As the clip continued circulating, many fans pointed to Morant’s history of ‘almosts,’ with one post reading:

“The greatest dunker of all time if missed dunks counted,”

Morant might have some of the best missed dunks of any player in the modern era, including fiery attempts on Trey Murphy III, Draymond Green, and Anthony Davis, with three missed posts on LeBron James.

Some fans focused less on the dunk itself and more on the target. With Morant once again challenging love, posts of the clip were filled with amused confusion.

“What he got against klove man😭,” one observer joked, treating the moment like a personal rivalry or goal.

Back after the first missed attempt, Love poked fun at Morant’s expense, posting a himself wearing a shirt that said, ‘Look what you did, you little jerk.’ Maybe it served as his motive for tonight.

Finally, beneath all the laughter, there was still admiration. One fan cut through the jokes to echo a wider sentiment:

“Please get back to this Ja the city needs it.”

This kind of energetic, no-holds-barred play is what the team wishes for Morant, and even if his shots didn’t fall, the game remained close, and as time goes on, the willingness to try was enough to remind people why Morant still commands attention.