Christmas is going to be a busy day for the NBA as a handful of teams take part in marquee matchups that could have a significant impact on the rest of the season. One of them happens to be a highly-anticipated matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and defending champions Golden State Warriors. For his part, Ja Morant is definitely looking forward to that clash.

The Grizzlies superstar recently talked about the rivalry between his Grizzlies and the Warriors as they look to exact some revenge from last season's playoff loss. It was the Dubs who took out the Grizzlies in the second round of the postseason last year en route to Golden State's fourth championship in eight years. Morant clearly hasn't forgotten about that series:

“Obviously, it's the team that kicked us out of the playoffs, so we always want to get our lick back,” Morant said. “Everybody knows what Golden State means to the game of basketball this last couple of years. They're the defending champs. So regardless of their record, they're still one of the top teams in this league. (They) can get going pretty fast.”

Unfortunately, the circumstances aren't as ideal as fans would have hoped for. Stephen Curry won't be available for Christmas Day as the former back-to-back MVP continues to nurse a shoulder injury that is expected to keep him out for at least a few weeks. The Dubs just aren't the same without Steph, and Morant just hopes that Curry is able to return to the court sooner rather than later:

“I wish everybody a speedy recovery and after that, a healthy season,” Ja continued. “
 Strength in numbers? I guess. Nah, I ain't with the strength in numbers. I'm Grizz next gen.”

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As Ja Morant said, however, this matchup should still produce fireworks even without Stephen Curry in the mix. As they always say, wounded animals can be more dangerous, and the Grizzlies are well aware of this notion.