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In arguably the most highly anticipated game of the NBA Play-In Tournament, disaster struck when Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, fresh off an electrifying start to the game, landed awkwardly on his way down from a shot attempt and immediately grasped at his right ankle as he rolled in pain on the court.
As fans watched on in horror, the guard slowly got to his feet and made his way to the line, where he completed the three-point play with a free throw before limping back to the bench, where he was replaced in the game by his backup, Scottie Pippen Jr.
Ja Morant went down with an apparent ankle injury on this play.
Hope he’s okay 🙏pic.twitter.com/Xf61S6C6hj
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 16, 2025
Suddenly, the sky was falling for Memphis fans. While beating the Warriors was never going to be easy, the Grizzlies turned in a very good third quarter after getting behind Golden State by double-digits. After trading blows while barely a possession apart, having to go without Morant down the stretch would have been a tough pill for interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo to overcome.
Will, as it turns out, Morant might not be in as bad a condition as some fans initially thought, as after taking a few minutes to go back to the locker room, the All-Star guard returned to the bench, where he watched his teammates close out the quarter 91-94.
With the fourth quarter in full swing, with the two sides once again battling it out despite Golden State's clear experience advantage, Morant actually returned to the bench at the 9:25 mark in the fourth before the clock hit quadruple zero, which is a pretty incredible accomplishment, all things considered.
Can Morant and company punch their ticket to the playoffs, or will they have to duke it out in one more game against the winner of the 9-10 game, all the while wondering if their max contract player is still 100 percent? While only time will tell, it looks like the Grizzlies have survived one disaster on Tuesday night; let's see if they can make it two.
