Ja Morant and Joel Embiid have been named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.

Morant averaged 28.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 9.0 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies went 3-1. Morant returned from his 25-game suspension last week.

Embiid averaged 40.7 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers went 2-1.

The Memphis Grizzlies have upgraded Marcus Smart to questionable for Tuesday game at the New Orleans Pelicans. Smart has been closing in on a return and appears poised to make it back this week, if not as soon as Tuesday.

Smart has missed the Grizzlies last 17 games since suffering a severely sprained ankle in a game at the Los Angeles Lakers on November 14. Prior to that, Smart had started the first 11 games of the season for Memphis.

Brandon Clarke plans to make his season debut around the All-Star break.

Clarke suffered a ruptured Achilles last March.

The Memphis Grizzlies have also been without Steven Adams this season, who underwent season-ending surgery in October.

Ja Morant scored the first game-winning buzzer beater of his career as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-113 on Tuesday night.

Morant, who made his season debut after getting suspended for the first 25 games of the year, finished with 34 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds.

"I feel like it was the perfect ending, perfect day," said Morant after the game.

Morant scored 27 points in the second half, including 14 points in the final 7:15 of the fourth quarter.

The Grizzlies came back from 24 points down in the game.

Morant admitted that he still had to work his way back into game shape.

"It's nothing like NBA basketball, so that's pretty much just doing the inhaler to try to get more oxygen in the body ... when I got back in at that eight-minute mark, they pretty much told me, 'You're not coming out.' I just had to lock in and just push through. [That is] pretty much my life -- just continuing to push no matter what," added Morant.

During his 25-game suspension to begin the 23-24 season, Ja Morant has quietly remained in the background, which sources from the Memphis Grizzlies say they've appreciated. Morant has been spotted at some Memphis-area high school basketball games and at a concert in late November. 

"He's a hardworking motherf---er. I know that," Derrick Rose told ESPN. "I'm proud of him, very proud of him. Never complains. He's there early, there after, at shootaround, practices. He's doing everything the team wants him to do, and I'm just happy that he's creating his own reality and his own bubble. You can just see it. You haven't heard anything about him. And that's a great thing."

Kevin Helms, the Grizzlies' head of team security, has his duties focused almost solely on shadowing Morant, team sources said.

The Grizzlies have privately expressed that they hope Morant has learned from the suspension. They also hope the time away from playing has allowed him to mature. 

The Memphis Grizzlies are about to be as whole as they've been all season. Ja Morant's suspension is over, and he will play on Tuesday. In addition, Marcus Smart should be back later this week too.

Smart has progressed to scrimmaging in recent days. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said that the veteran guard should be back for Thursday's game against the Indiana Pacers or Saturday's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Smart has missed the last 14 games for Memphis due to a severely sprained ankle. With Morant and Smart back in the lineup, Jenkins will have most of the lineup he expected to have in place this season.

The Memphis Grizzlies are getting Ja Morant after their next game. And it's not a game too soon, as Memphis is down yet another player due to injury.

Derrick Rose left Friday's game due to left hamstring tightness. He'll be week-to-week with the injury.

Rose has been starting with Morant suspended and Marcus Smart out due to injury. Morant has one game remaining on his 25-game suspension to start the season. Smart is beginning to ramp back up, but is at least a few games away from returning.

The Memphis Grizzlies have a roster crunch with Ja Morant set to be activated from the suspended list in the coming days. Morant has one game left on his 25-game suspension. After Monday's game, Morant will return to the Grizzlies active roster.

At that point, Memphis will have to make a roster move. It appears that the team has decided to waive second-year forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. to make room for Morant. Lofton's contract is fully guaranteed, which will result in $1.7 million in dead money on the Grizzlies cap sheet.

When Morant was moved to the suspended list, the Grizzlies signed Bismack Biyombo to fill the open roster spot. Biyombo has become an integral part of Taylor Jenkins' rotation, including starting several games.

In parts of two seasons with Memphis, Lofton has appeared in 39 NBA games. He's also appeared in 32 G League games for the Memphis Hustle during the last two seasons.

Ja Morant spoke to the media for the first time since his 25-game suspension as he's set to make his season debut on Tuesday.

"I can't, you know, make nobody believe me outside of my actions," Morant said Friday. "So me answering this question with just words probably won't mean nothing to nobody."

While Morant is attempting to change the behavior that led to multiple suspensions, he wants to remain himself. 

"I can't go away from being Ja," Morant said. "I feel like that's the most important thing. Not trying to lose myself or be somebody that I'm not or at totally different. The change will be my decision-making and how I go about my daily life of being a NBA player, a father, a role model (and) a son."

The Grizzlies have struggled without him and Morant takes responsibility for his part in that.

"Yes, it's definitely some guilt in that," Morant said. "Obviously I'm not on the floor. Nobody like losing. ... I take full responsibility of that. Even though I'm not on the floor, decisions I've made didn't allow me to be out there to go to battle with my team."

Ja Morant is ramping up for his return to the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant reportedly looks good, as he's practiced with the team ahead of his 25-game suspension coming to an end. Morant has five games left before he can rejoin Memphis for games.

When Morant does return, it will create a roster situation for the Grizzlies. Memphis currently has Morant on the suspended list. The Grizzlies will need to waive a player to make room for Morant when he's transferred back to the active roster.

Bismack Biyombo signed with Memphis when Morant was moved to the suspended list. The Grizzlies would like to keep Biyombo, who has become the team's starting center. Memphis gave Biyombo a one-year $5 million deal with $1 million guaranteed, when they signed him.

The desire to keep Biyombo has the Grizzlies talking trades with other teams around the NBA. The idea is to open up a roster spot via trade, which would allow Biyombo to stay after Morant returns.