Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies had to be confident heading into their first-round NBA playoff series against the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at FedEx Forum.
Ja Morant’s status for Game 2 is “in doubt” after suffering a hand injury in a nasty tumble against the Lakers
With 5:48 left in the fourth quarter, Morant took a hard fall and landed on his shooting hand and, more precisely, his fingers, putting an end to his upbeat attitude. Morant was forced to quit the game, as expected.
Morant was skiing for a layup/dunk attempt when Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis stood in his way. Morant connected with Davis in mid-air, tumbling to the floor with little alternative but to brace himself with his hands.
The Grizzlies were trailing the Lakers 105-101 at the time. Morant’s absence clearly had an influence on the game, as the Lakers went on a 23-11 scoring run, winning 128-112 to take Game 1 on the road.
Morant’s right hand may have been injured in the process, despite the fact that he escaped anything more serious.
Morant withdrew to the locker room, but he ultimately returned to the sideline with his Grizzlies teammates, his right hand tightly wrapped. His whereabouts are unknown.
Tyus Jones, who has led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio each of the last six seasons, took over as point guard for Morant.
While Jones is capable, the Grizzlies do not want to be without their franchise cornerstone for an extended period of time.
Despite this, Morant confessed that his playing position for Game 2 was “in question” after the team’s loss.
The Grizzlies have a little break until their next game, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
Depending on the severity of his injuries, we’ll see if Morant can rejoin his colleagues before then.
