The Memphis Grizzlies nearly pulled off a historic comeback on Tuesday night to beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and they nearly lost Ja Morant in the process.
After the star point guard led a third-quarter rally to close the gap on a 20-point lead, he came down awkwardly after a floater near the baseline and appeared to roll his right ankle. The Murray State product limped off gingerly after knocking down the free throw.
Morant sat for about six or seven minutes of game time before returning to the game, and after walking it off a bit he actually looked okay. He wasn’t at his usual 110% explosiveness, but he was able to get to his spots and get some big buckets down the stretch. In the end, the Warriors still came out on top with a 121-116 win.
“It was really difficult at first for him to put any weight or movement on it,” LaForce said. “As time progressed, he kept it moving. He never went back to the locker room. He didn’t receive ice, he didn’t receive heat. He just kept it moving. When he got back in the game, it still looked pretty uncomfortable but by the end of the game he was moving really well.
“They’re not doing an X-ray tonight, they’re not giving an update on his ankle. They feel like he finished the game properly. He’s obviously gonna try to keep it lose and tomorrow we’ll see what it feels like when he wakes up, but for now it seems like the best-case scenario for Memphis and for Ja Morant’s ankle.”
Having Morant out there is crucial for this Grizzlies team, so they will be glad to hear this update. Morant backed this up after the game and didn’t even entertain the possibility of him sitting out, via Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal.
“I’m playing,” Morant said. “That’s basically the answer I’m giving. It ain’t nothing different.”
The Grizzlies get to head back home for the second play-in game, where their season will be on the line. They will take on either the Dallas Mavericks or the Sacramento Kings, with the winner advancing to play against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
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