By: Nina Cray
Memphis Grizzlies’ point guard Ja Morant – who has had a tremendous impact in the Grizzlies vs. Golden State game series – is said to be unlikely to return to the NBA playoffs after an MRI exam revealed the star has a bone bruise in his right knee.
Morant exited the game after the injury in Game 3 vs. Golden State with 6:19 left in the fourth quarter, and did not return for Game 4 on Monday, May 9th where Golden State defeated Memphis in San Francisco 101-98.
The Grizzlies did go 20-5 during the regular season without Morant, securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, but it is impossible to ignore the impact Morant has had in the playoffs and in this series vs. Golden State.
In the three games Morant played against Golden State, he averaged 38.3 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 3 steals. Morant’s averages for his entire 2022 NBA playoff run would be 27.1 points, 9.8 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals if this marks the end of his season.
Morant has had trouble with his right knee before, missing nine games in March due to an injury.
Shortly after his injury in Game 3, Morant tweeted – which was deleted afterwards – that Golden State player Jordan Poole “broke the code,” which was a jab in reference to Warriors Coach Steve Kerr who said the same thing after Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks received a flagrant foul on Warriors’ Gary Payton II in Game 2.
The play resulted in a fractured elbow for Payton II and a Game 3 suspension for Brooks.
While it hasn’t been confirmed that Morant is out indefinitely, it is highly likely and endangers the Grizzlies of being eliminated in Game 5 tonight as Golden State has a 3-1 lead.
Sources:
Wacker, Brian. May 10th, 2022. New York Post. “Grizzlies’ Ja Morant expected to miss remainder of NBA playoffs.” <https://nypost.com/2022/05/10/grizzlies-ja-morant-expected-to-miss-rest-of-nba-playoffs/>
Quinn, Sam & Herbert, James. May 11th, 2022. CBS Sports. “Ja Morant injury update: Grizzlies star doubtful to return during playoffs with bone bruise in right knee.” <https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/ja-morant-injury-update-grizzlies-star-doubtful-to-return-during-playoffs-with-bone-bruise-in-right-knee/>
