Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant left midway through the fourth quarter of Memphis’ 128-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the first-round series between the teams on Sunday afternoon after a hand injury. Morant landed awkwardly on his outstretched right hand after attempting a dunk and colliding in midair with Lakers big man Anthony Davis. Morant was clearly in pain and immediately stopped playing and went back to the locker room.
He eventually returned to the Grizzlies’ bench, but he was out of play. He seemed to have wrapped his hand and wrist when he sat back on the couch. Taylor Jenkins revealed on Tuesday that Morant has a soft tissue bruise and is a game time decision for Wednesday’s Game 2. You can see the game where the injury occurred below:
The Lakers were leading 105–101 when Morant left the game. Memphis was outscored 23-11 the rest of the way, including a 15-0 run by LA to close out the game. The Grizzlies are now trailing 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. Before hurting his hand, Morant played 30 minutes and scored 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
After Game 1, Jenkins said x-rays on Morant’s hand came back negative, which is good news for Memphis. The star guard told reporters on Sunday that he is “a little sore” and added that his status for the next game is “at risk”.
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Morant’s health is clearly paramount to Memphis’ progress. The Grizzlies have been without key contributors Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke for their entire playoff run, and they just can’t afford to lose anyone else for an extended period of time, especially their All-Star point guard.