Ja Morant Gets Standing Ovation In Return From Gun Video Suspension

There was clearly no love lost for Ja Morant in Memphis during his recent suspension ... 'cause the second he returned to action for the Grizzlies, he was greeted with a massive standing ovation.

Ja -- after sitting out nearly the entire month of March for posting a video that showed him brandishing a gun at a Colorado gentleman's club -- made his long-awaited return to the NBA hardwood on Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets ... and the crowd went crazy after seeing him.

He came off the bench with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter ... and the nearly 18,000 fans at FedExForum in Memphis got on their feet to show they still supported him.

And, it didn't take long for the star point guard to give them more to cheer about -- minutes after he checked into the game, he dunked all over Houston's Kenyon Martin Jr.

Some of Ja's family was in attendance for the big night -- including his father, Tee, who wore a sweatshirt with an image of Morant and the word "Redemption."

Morant ultimately played 23 minutes in the game, scoring 17 points ... helping lead Memphis to a 130-125 victory.