MikeCheck: Morant deflects sore ankle talk, vows ‘I’m playing’ with Grizzlies season on brink
Michael WallaceMEMPHIS – As the Grizzlies brace for their final stand to earn at a spot in the NBA playoffs, superstar point guard Ja Morant is determined to enter the battle standing on his own two feet.
The sore right ankle Morant sustained in Tuesday’s SoFi Play-In Tournament loss at Golden State won’t keep him off the floor when the Grizzlies play again Friday with their season on the line.
Especially if it’s up to him.
“I’m playing,” Morant emphatically vowed before leaving the visiting team’s locker room at the Chase Center. “That’s basically the answer I’m giving. It ain’t nothing different.”
The Grizzlies traveled back to Memphis on Wednesday, and Morant will likely have the ankle evaluated before his status is officially determined by the team. Morant turned his right ankle as he landed after taking a contested baseline shot late in the third quarter against the Warriors.
He remained down on the court and was attended to by trainers for several moments as referees reviewed the play for a potential flagrant foul on Warriors guard Buddy Hield. The two players appeared to get their feet tangled as Morant landed from his shot attempt.
But officials determined there was no hostile act committed by Hield, and Morant initially left the game for an extended stretch to receive treatment on the bench. He would later return and hobbled at times in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies rallied from a 20-point deficit before falling 121-116 to the Warriors.
Golden State secured the No. 7 seed with the win and advanced to the first round of the playoffs to face the No. 2-seed Rockets in a best-of-seven series. The Grizzlies will host the winner of Wednesday’s Play-In game between the No. 9-seed Kings and No. 10-seed Mavericks. At stake in Friday’s game at FedExForum is the No. 8 and final playoff seed in the West, which earns a matchup with the No. 1-seed Thunder in a series that starts Sunday in Oklahoma City.
Although he sat at his locker Tuesday night with a heavy ice pack wrapped around the base of his right foot, Morant generally deflected questions about the severity of the injury. Morant played more than nine minutes in the fourth quarter and made two of his four shot attempts after reentering the game. He finished with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting in 35 minutes.
Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said Morant was determined to continue playing, especially after spearheading the rally. Morant’s 15-foot jumper tied the game at 98-98 with 8:54 left, and the Grizzlies would take the lead moments later on a 3-pointer by Jaren Jackson Jr. But costly turnovers and defensive breakdowns by Memphis allowed the Warriors to escape.
When commending Morant’s toughness after the game, Iisalo referenced the ankle injury that Hall of Fame guard Isiah Thomas hobbled through during a heroic effort in the 1988 NBA Finals.
“Seeing him in that situation – I’m of that generation that still remembers Isiah Thomas hopping around on one ankle,” Iisalo said. “It wasn’t quite that; hopefully it’s not that severe. But it was inspiring and it lifted the guys up to see your leader is putting it all on the line there.”
Warriors forward Draymond Green also credited Morant for pushing through the discomfort to help give the Grizzlies a chance to pull out the victory. Memphis had possession with 5.4 seconds left and trailed 119-116 before it committed a violation on an inbounds play to turn the ball over to Golden State. The Warriors sealed the game with free throws.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Green said of seeing Morant return to finish. “Because Ja is special. He is one of the more special players in the league and has the heart of a lion. I think he may struggle to play in the game Friday. He came back (Tuesday) off straight adrenaline.”
Morant battled injuries throughout the season but was in the midst of his most productive stretch. He averaged 30.3 points over a 10-game span late in the season and guided Memphis through a tumultuous period that included the March 28 dismissal of coach Taylor Jenkins.
The thought of missing a game the magnitude of Friday’s win-or-go-home scenario was a notion Morant wanted to quickly dismiss as his team prepared to travel back to Memphis.
His teammates didn’t expect anything different.
“He’s a resilient player and he’s a resilient guy,” Jackson said of Morant. “I knew he was going to come back in the game. I’m happy that wasn’t the end of his game.”
There will be at least two full days of treatment, rest and recovery for Morant before the Grizzlies take the court again with a chance to extend their season and reach the playoffs.
The hope is that Morant has at least one more strong game in him.
For now, he’s more focused on those stakes than his status.
“The season will be over if you don’t,” Morant said of securing a win Friday. “It’s that simple.”
Published on Apr 16, 2025
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