Grizzlies star Ja Morant hurt his hand in a Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and he doesn’t sound too hopeful about his future availability.
It’s the Dillon Brooks curse. He caused this.
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant injured his right hand in a scary fall in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers and immediately went into the locker room.
He came back onto the court shortly after but didn’t re-enter the game, leaving many wondering whether he would be healthy enough to play for the rest of the series.
Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters after the game that x-rays on Morant’s hand came back negative, which is a marginally good sign. Yet Morant himself didn’t seem like his usual chipper self and said his status for Game 2 was “in jeopardy.”
Grizzlies may have to play without Ja Morant for the rest of the first-round series
Apparently, Morant was already playing with his right hand wrapped due to an injury he suffered late in the regular season. He may have aggravated it in Game 1 when he used his hand to break his fall after he charged into Lakers’ Anthony Davis.
The Grizzlies were down four points when Morant left the game; he had so far racked up 18 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. In Morant’s absence, the Lakers ultimately pulled off the home court upset with help from Austin “HIM” Reaves and Los Angeles’ sharp three-point shooting to close out the fourth.
The Lakers finished on a 15-0 run to secure their first win of the series, and that coupled with Morant’s bleak injury news has got to be a devastating blow to Grizzlies fans.
Memphis are already playing without Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke for the postseason. Losing an All-Star point guard like Morant just might do the Grizzlies in, though the team will be holding its breath to see if Morant can recover in time for Game 2 on Wednesday night.
