Grizzlies’ Ja Morant suffers ankle injury in OT win vs. Brooklyn Nets
The Memphis Grizzlies were 0-2 going into their Monday night matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Conversely, the Nets had won two of their first three games and have already boosted their odds as a contender in the Eastern Conference.
But without their top two scorers — Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — the Grizzlies squeaked out a 116-111 win. This was the Nets’ second straight loss following two blowout wins to start the season. However, not all of the news from this contest was positive.
The Grizzlies’ second-year point guard guard Ja Morant exited the game early due to an ankle injury. To say that Morant had been playing well this season would be an understatement, to say the least.
In the season opener against the San Antonio Spurs, Morant finished with 44 points and nine assists. He shot an efficient 18-for-27 from the field and connected on one of his two attempts from 3-point range.
Morant followed that up with another solid outing against the Atlanta Hawks. In that contest, Morant scored 28 points (on 10-for-21 shooting) to go along with seven assists.
Sure, Ja Morant recorded more turnovers (four) than made shots (two) in 13 minutes of action against the Nets. At the same time, he is averaging 36 points and eight assists per contest. He is also shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. In other words, Morant has picked up where he left off last season, a 2019-20 campaign in which he won the Rookie of the Year award.
Despite the minor setback, Ja Morant appears to be in good spirits as evidenced by the quote he tweeted after the game.
While Morant’s status remains uncertain, the x-rays on his ankle revealed no fracture. Grizzlies’ coach Taylor Jenkins stated that an update would be provided on Tuesday, when Morant is expected to undergo an MRI. The Grizzlies’ next opponent will be the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.