The Memphis Grizzlies engaged the Dallas Mavericks in an intense NBA preseason matchup on Monday night. Memphis held a 93-90 advantage over the Mavs by the end of the third quarter. However, the Grizzlies took note of an injury concern from Ja Morant after he rolled his ankle for the second time during the game.

Morant first tweaked his ankle during the second quarter while defending a two-on-one fastbreak. Then, he returned and suffered another ankle ailment after a cut and dunk to the basket in the third. He looked at the Grizzlies athletic trainer and gave the “I'm done” sign after the second occurrence, per Nick Angstadt of the Locked On Network.

After the game, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant will be evaluated, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, but the early signs are this “minor ankle tweak” is not serious. Morant himself said he's “good” and that there was no reason to push things in the preseason.

Hopefully, Ja Morant will undergo a safe and speedy injury recovery. He finished the game with 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists. The Grizzlies will need the star point guard healthy if they want to avenge their 2023-24 showing.

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Morant missed the latter half of the season due to a serious shoulder injury. Before that, he averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in nine appearances. Memphis is looking forward to having Morant's services back, although, he might need to use a bit of extra caution with his dunks.

Still, anyone who knows Ja Morant knows he is a competitor who will not back down, not even from his own teammates. Morant named fellow Grizzlies teammate Zach Edey as one of the NBA players he has not dunked on yet that he would like to.

The Grizzlies held on to defeat the Mavericks 121-116 in their preseason opener. Before the game, Jenkins spoke about how the team prepared for Dallas' potent offense. The Grizzlies did something right on Monday night, given their victory. They will need to continue that same kind of execution early during the 2024-25 season and get out to a hot start.