The Memphis Grizzlies are dominating opponents in the third ...

Ja Morant knew the question was coming.

As the Memphis Grizzlies point guard sat at the podium after scoring 33 of his 39 points in the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, he didn't even have to hear the full first question to know what was being asked. The question was about Morant switching from his "Midnight" Ja 1 sneakers into his player-exclusive "scratch" Ja 1s.

"I got to break my shoes in, man," Morant said. "It wasn't nothing special."

Maybe it wasn't anything to the shoes, but there's a strong case that there is some magic to the way the Grizzlies have performed in third quarters this season. The third has been where the Grizzlies have done most of their most damage.

That was the case again on Tuesday when the Grizzlies defeated the Lakers 121-109 inside FedExForum. The Grizzlies scored 47 points in the third quarter after totaling 46 in the first half.

"It's our ability to adapt at halftime," Jenkins said. ".. We obviously want to have a really good feel from possession one, but that's not always the case. Teams are going to present different challenges."

Memphis leads the NBA with 31.1 points per game in the the third quarter. The Grizzlies are ninth in first-quarter scoring, 12th in the second, and they fall down to 29th in the fourth. Their 8.4 net rating in the third quarter is second in the NBA behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it's the highest for Memphis.

Setting the tone in the third quarter is important because it builds a cushion for the fourth. Teams tend to play with maximum effort on defense in the fourth quarter, and the last minutes become more of isolation basketball.

It's important to be in a winning position before that stretch. A lot has been made over the past month of how the Grizzlies have struggled to close out games. One reason that has been so noticeable is because of how dominant Memphis has been in the third quarter.

"I feel like at halftime, we just talk amongst each other and then coach comes and talks to us as well, and we know what we got to correct," Morant said. "Obviously, we wish we don't have to do that."

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The dominance starts with Morant. The third quarter is his highest scoring frame of the season. He's third in the NBA with 9.8 points per game in the third quarter. The most notable is the first, where he averages 7.5 points per game.

Morant set a franchise record with 28 points in the third quarter against the Lakers after shooting 3-for-14 in the first half. That one performance may have been historic, but Morant was already one of the NBA's top third quarter scorers.

And just like the shoes, Morant thinks it's just a coincidence.

"I wouldn't say it's flipping the switch," Morant said after the Lakers game. "It's just the shots I missed in the first half, I made in the second half."