The Memphis Grizzlies will try to stave off a first-round playoff sweep against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, and they might have to do it without their star guard.
Ja Morant sustained a left hip injury with 3:15 left in the second quarter of Game 3 on Thursday in Memphis. He left the contest for good at that point, with Memphis ahead 67-40. In his absence, the Grizzlies blew the lead and fell 114-108, leaving them in a 3-0 hole in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.
Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said of Morant postgame, “He’s going through further evaluations (Friday). Then we’ll know more.”
The injury happened when Morant, on a fastbreak, took a behind-the-back pass from teammate Scotty Pippen Jr. Morant then went up for a potential dunk or layup, and Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort stepped under him, causing Morant to fall hard to the floor.
After team personnel checked on him, Morant eventually rose and shot two free throws, missing both, before heading to the locker room. He returned to the bench in the second half, in street clothes and on crutches.
Dort said of the play, “Tough one. Obviously I hope he’s OK. I was running back, making a hustle play for my team. I was running quick, stopped on a dime. I didn’t know he was behind me, and I was slipping. I tried to make a play on the ball, but we just ran into each other and he fell down. But I hope he’s OK. I didn’t mean to hit him like that.”
Morant recorded 15 points and five assists in 15 minutes before leaving the game. He is averaging 18.3 points and 5.5 assists in the first three games of the series.
The 25-year-old two-time All-Star appeared in 50 games in the 2024-25 regular season, putting up 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest. Over his six-season NBA career, all with Memphis, Morant has averages of 22.6 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
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