MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Grizzlies suffered a significant setback during their playoff showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night as their standout guard, Ja Morant, was forced to leave the game due to a left hip injury. The incident occurred late in the first half after Morant took a hard fall under the basket.
With just over three minutes left in the first half, Morant’s night was cut short when he went down hard. This prompted an early decision in the second half to keep him out for the remainder of the game when he did not rejoin the team at the beginning of the third quarter. In Morant’s absence, Luke Kennard stepped in to fill the gap in the Grizzlies’ lineup.
The absence of their star player significantly impacted the Grizzlies’ performance. The Thunder capitalized on this opportunity, surmounting a 29-point deficit to edge out the Grizzlies with a final score of 114-108, gaining a commanding 3-0 advantage in the first-round playoff series.
The situation unfolded when Memphis was capitalizing on a Thunder turnover with a fast break. At that moment, Scotty Pippen charged toward the basket, passing the ball to Morant at the rim. Unfortunately, Luguentz Dort, who was losing his balance at the time, collided with Morant in mid-air, resulting in Morant’s hard fall to the court.
Officials reviewed the play for a potential flagrant foul but ultimately deemed it a common foul. Although Morant initially headed to the locker room with assistance, he later returned to the court, visibly limping, to take two free throws. Despite missing both attempts, the Grizzlies retained possession as the ball went out of bounds, allowing Morant to exit the game with Memphis holding a 67-40 lead. He removed his jersey as he was helped off the court.
At the time of his exit, Morant had contributed 15 points and five assists to the game.