Austin Reaves and Ja Morant both played hero in the clutch, but who did it better?

You know the NBA is so back when we get two game-winners only minutes apart from each other. It was tough on the East Coast crowd staying up through the madness, but it was well worth it.

Ja Morant and Austin Reaves sunk floaters and hearts last night to secure the win for their teams. The floater is an essential shot for guards of their stature to have in their game, and boy, do they.

Comparison is the thief of joy, but comparisons can be fun at times. We're going to compare these dramatic floater game-winners to each other and others from the past. We'll put Morant's and Reaves' game-winners on a 1-10 scale. Both shots took extreme confidence, but who did it better?

Austin Reaves and Ja Morant steal the show

Let's start with Morant, who is looking to have a major bounce-back season. Morant's counting stats weren't abysmal last season, but he only appeared in 50 games, and the off-the-court headlines received more attention than his high-flying playing style.

The stats this year aren't moving mountains so far, but vibe check. Morant's body language appears better, and he put it all together last night.

He finished with 28 points, shooting 7-of-11 from 2-point range and buried the Suns with a skillful floater. Morant took the half-court outlet pass from Santi Aldama and put the moves on Phoenix.

This behind-the-back to get into the floater was as impressive as the shot. Morant's tight handle put him in a position to crush Suns fans' hearts across Arizona. His ability to play off two feet should be noted here, as that creates much-needed stability.

We'll give this game a winner an 8/10. He gets major props for draining this game-winner, being down a point. Game-winners with a tied score don't hit as hard unless a certain caveat is involved. Morant's heroics put a W in the win column for Memphis, but he didn't do it quite like Austin Reaves when context is provided.

Austin Reaves has been on a tear. Tear isn't doing him justice. He's playing like an MVP, and the game-winner against the Minnesota Timberwolves illustrates how elite he's been.

Keep in mind, the Lakers were on the verge of blowing a 20-point lead when Reaves revived them. A loss in this spot would've been understandable due to Luka Dončić and LeBron James being out, but Reaves said not on my watch.

Like Morant, Reaves' floater for the win was the epitome of skill. Reaves has Jaden McDaniels on his bumper and has to split two defenders when Rudy Gobert comes ball level to hedge. Splitting the defense is an underappreciated skill we take for granted.

Reaves remains laser-focused on taking home the win and releases a wrong-leg floater from just inside the free-throw line. One key difference between Reaves and Morant's game winners is that Reaves didn't allow the Wolves to get an opportunity to score.

That was a driveway game winner we all practiced as kids. "Three, two, one bang!" Reaves' shot was a game-winner and a buzzer-beater. The buzzer-beater distinction gives this game-winner a 9. Maybe that's a tough way to grade these masterful floater game winners, but it's hard not to see those and compare them to an iconic game winner from 2009 and another, more recent one from Reaves' teammate.

In Dwyane Wade's best season, he delivered more than the scoring title and an All-NBA first team performance. He delivered the best floater game-winner I had seen at that point.

Wade's one-legged floater from the 3-point line was pure madness. The shot. The celebration. The moment as a whole was legendary. This was a 10/10 game winner on our scale. That floater was the first time I'd seen a floater from the 3-point line for the win. First, but not last, because Luka had the same madness in mind.

Back in his showstopping Dallas Mavericks days, Luka buried Morant and the Grizzlies with this improbable floater from three. "A Dončić dagger" summed it up perfectly. This was a clear 10/10 on our scale.

Game-winning floaters as a whole are fun and display how crafty these elite athletes are. Let's see who will be next to join the list.

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