Ja Morant cheered for his teammates from the end of the Memphis bench with his right arm hanging by his injured shoulder as the team secured a 132-124 victory over the Pelicans on Friday night.
Morant sustained the injury after colliding hard with a legal screen from Daniel Theis in the third quarter. The force of the impact sent Morant to the floor, and the referees initially called a foul on Theis, but the call was reversed after reviewing the play.
Morant went to the locker room for evaluation but returned to the bench without re-entering the game. He used his left arm to signal to his teammates after they made key shots in the final moments.
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins did not provide any updates on Morant’s condition after the game. About a year ago, a torn labrum in the same shoulder had ended Morant’s 2023-24 season.
“Obviously, he took a tough hit to the shoulder, but we’ll have more information in the next couple of days,” Jenkins said, commending his team’s “great resolve” in maintaining their lead against the Pelicans after Morant left.
“Losing someone like that is never easy,” Memphis guard Desmond Bane acknowledged. “But we stayed composed and managed to make plays when it mattered.”
The Grizzlies were set to provide updates on all injured players by Saturday, just before their Sunday matchup against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City.
After the game in New Orleans, Morant was able to dress himself at his locker. He appeared to be in good spirits and did not use a sling, although he kept his right arm mostly still at his side.
At 25 years old, Morant has been averaging about 21 points per game this season, slightly lower than his career average of 24 points per game.
Earlier this season, he missed eight games due to a posterior hip subluxation and several Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains, during which time the Grizzlies (22-10) recorded a 5-3 record.
Morant scored 25 points in the game against New Orleans, but managed only one point in the second half before his injury. Nevertheless, the Grizzlies exceeded 130 points, following a franchise-record 155 points in a previous win over Toronto.
Bane described the Grizzlies’ current offensive approach as “balanced, cohesive, and fast — all of those things.”
Leave a Reply