The Memphis Grizzlies are locked in a dog fight with the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals. They trail the Warriors 3-1, after having lost both away games at the Chase Center. And with the risk of bowing out of the playoffs in Game 5, the Grizzlies might have to do it without their star point guard, Ja Morant.
The Memphis Grizzlies dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves in 6 games in the previous round. But they have failed to get going the same way against the Warriors. Only taking a single win in Game 2 by a whisker. But they weren’t far away from a win in Game 1 though, with their All-Star missing the final layup.
Morant has played every single playoff game for the Grizzlies this postseason and averaged an excellent 27.1 points and a playoff-high 9.8 assists. But any further involvement from him is suddenly in the balance.
Ja Morant is sidelined with a knee injury
In the Game 3 loss, the 2022 Most Improved Player was the recipient of a foul by Jordan Poole in the 4th quarter. Poole seemingly “yanked” Morant’s knee during a play when Ja was double-teamed by the Warriors. He exited the game and did not return to the court that night.
This series has adopted an aggressive tone and both teams have not held back. Morant took to his favorite social media platform to react to the ‘dirty’ play. Referencing Steve Kerr’s comments from the earlier game, he stated that Poole broke the code. However, he deleted the tweet soon after.
Ja Morant reacted to Jordan Poole grabbing his knee.
(via @JaMorant) pic.twitter.com/9XhvkPfYxG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 8, 2022
Further evaluation of the knee has revealed a bone bruise in the guard’s right knee. And have listed him as questionable for the upcoming games after he sat out Game 4.
Grizzlies say Ja Morant has bone bruise in his knee and is doubtful for remainder of the playoffs.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 10, 2022
Although this is a major blow to the Grizzlies, they will take reassurance from their stellar regular-season record without Ja Morant. The Grizzlies went 20-5 without him in the lineup and will hope to replicate similar success and fight back in the semifinals.
