Ja Morant leaves Grizzlies-Lakers Game 1 with apparent hand injury
Grizzlies star Ja Morant had to head to the locker room after hitting his hand in a fall during Game 1 against the Lakers.
The Lakers had an injury scare with Anthony Davis in the first half of Game 1, but he was able to return following the apparent stinger. In the second half, it was the Grizzlies turn to watch a star head for the locker room.
Ja Morant took a tumble midway through the fourth quarter, appearing to break his fall with his hand. As refs blew the whistle for an offensive foul, the Grizzlies star showed immediate signs of distress.
Holding his hand in pain, Morant went straight to the locker room to be evaluated.
Ja Morant headed to the locker room with an apparent injury after this play. pic.twitter.com/MZOrSN9Tmz
— ESPN (@espn) April 16, 2023
Ja Morant ran to the locker room in pain — grabbing his already wrapped right hand — after getting called for a charge with 5:48 remaining. Looked like he broke his fall with that hand.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 16, 2023
Ja Morant injury: Grizzlies star left Game 1 with hand injury
Morant, who had 18 points before his exit, was already dealing with an injury to the same hand suffered near the end of the regular season.
It wasn’t long before he returned from the locker room but he took a seat on the bench. His official status was undetermined as the game clock ticked towards the final minutes.
The Grizzlies came into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference while the Lakers had to make it into the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament. Despite the seeding differential, Los Angeles is far from an underdog in the series matchup.
With Morant out, the Lakers increased their advantage in Game 1 down the stretch, winning the opening matchup in Memphis, 128-112.
Memphis certainly needs a healthy Ja Morant available if they hope to send LeBron James and company packing.
UPDATE:
“He’s in some pain,” Taylor Jenkins said of Ja Morant. The Grizzlies’ medical staff is evaluating Morant’s hand and wrist. He was already dealing with an injury to that hand. https://t.co/VwDpo8LJZ6
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 16, 2023
Head coach Taylor Jenkins reported some good news that x-rays on Morant’s hand were negative. However, he is dealing with pain and will need evaluating over the next to days to determine his status for Game 2.
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