The Memphis Grizzlies overturned a 20-point deficit to come within one point of the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter of their 7-8 Play-In Tournament matchup. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies comeback was adversely affected when point guard Ja Morant went down with an ankle injury after landing on Buddy Hield’s foot after a shot attempt.
Ja Morant went down with an apparent ankle injury 🙏 pic.twitter.com/IPnUoMM9Fz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 16, 2025
Morant went out with the score at 81-82 in the Warriors’ favor. The quarter ended 91-94, with the Warriors slightly increasing their advantage ahead of what will be an action-packed fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies will be without their franchise star as Morant couldn’t move well after suffering the injury, and even if he pushed through to return, he’ll be heavily limited in what he can do.
Morant scored 18 points (7-14 FG) with two rebounds and two assists in 25:28 minutes of action. He was their primary offensive option alongside Desmond Bane, but he will not be able to help the Grizzlies close this one out and secure the No. 7 seed in the Playoffs.
This game is important, as the winner will face the inexperienced Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. That’s far better than having to play another elimination Play-In game against the winner of the 9-10 matchup or facing the OKC Thunder in the first round, so both sides are motivated to seal this win.
If Ja Morant can’t return to this game, it’s likely he has a small absence anyway to heal up from the injury. This means he’ll likely miss the final Play-In Game if the Grizzlies lose to the Warriors, endangering the Grizzlies’ season as they don’t own their own first-round pick this season.
Even if the Grizzlies hold on for the win, they’ll be heavy underdogs in the first round without Morant. He’s had a solid season, averaging 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists over the year. He had come into a purple patch of form in recent weeks after the Grizzlies made a bold head coaching change in March.
His health has been a major concern over his career. He’s never played over 67 games in a season, reaching only 50 this year. Even his 67 games played happened in his shortened rookie season, so his injury concerns have been persisting for a while.
Morant re-entered the game with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
