Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant’s status for Wednesday night’s pivotal Game 2 playoff contest against the Los Angeles Lakers remains a question mark, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
“I’m told there are no breaks, no fractures in Ja Morant's hand… He felt that it was a 10/10 when it comes to pain, so his status is still very much up in the air for game 2 on Wednesday”@ShamsCharania with the latest on Ja Morant’s hand injury 🤕#RunItBack #BigMemphis pic.twitter.com/DVPDi9Nm44
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) April 18, 2023
Morant went down hard in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 1 after trying to score over Lakers big man Anthony Davis. When Morant fell to the ground, the back of his fingers hit the court, and he bent his wrist.
Pray for Ja 🙏 pic.twitter.com/jDfNJDZC9q
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) April 16, 2023
It became immediately clear that the injury was a serious one, with Morant running off the court. After the contest, Morant made no effort to hide the fact that he was in pain and struggled to get dressed.
Prior to the injury, Morant scored 18 points and had two assists as the Lakers jolted the favored Grizzlies in a 128-112 win.
Late in the regular season, Morant suffered a hand injury in the Grizzlies’ April 7 game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Against the Lakers, Morant’s hand was already wrapped because of that injury and given a more extensive wrap after the collision with Davis.
Morant’s presence in the Grizzlies’ lineup is obviously important, considering that the fourth-year guard is the team’s leading scorer. During the recently concluded 2022-23 regular season, he averaged 26.2 points per contest as well as 8.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
The Grizzlies are certainly hoping this isn’t a case of history repeating itself. In last year’s Western Conference semifinals, Morant suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the final three games of the Grizzlies’ series with the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors eked out a close win in Game 4 to go up 3-1 in the series. The Grizzlies staved off elimination in Game 5, but then watched the Warriors advance in a 14-point defeat in the final game.
The Lakers can be forgiven if they don’t offer a great deal of sympathy toward the plight of Morant and the Grizzlies. The reason is simple: Los Angeles has dealt with its own wave of injuries this year that, at times, put the idea of even competing in the postseason in doubt.
A Lakers victory on Wednesday night would give them a 2-0 advantage with the series heading back to Los Angeles.
