NEW YORK – Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant left the Barclays Center court area in a wheelchair on Monday night after spraining his left ankle in the second quarter of Memphis’ 116-111 victory at overtime on the Brooklyn Nets.
X-rays on Morant’s ankle revealed no fracture, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and he is due to undergo an MRI scan as early as Tuesday.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins did not have an official update on Morant’s status after the game, but said Morant will continue to be evaluated and there will likely be an update on Tuesday from Boston, where the Grizzlies face the Celtics on Wednesday -market.
“So hard to see Ja fall,” said Jenkins. “I know he will recover and be well. We will have more updates as we go, but so far so good.”
The 6-foot-tall guard was injured when trying to block Nets striker Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s kick and fell awkwardly into Luwawu-Cabarrot’s foot.
Morant did not put his weight on his left leg as he jumped to the sideline before collapsing beside the Grizzlies’ bench. He rolled on the floor in pain as the training team came to him.
After a few minutes, a team member brought a wheelchair and Morant’s teammates helped him put it on. Morant was immediately taken to the locker room and then discarded for the rest of the game.
Halfway through the fourth half, Morant returned to the Grizzlies’ bench wearing a protective boot on his left leg. He limped to the team’s grouping during timeouts and clapped for his teammates.
“What a great display for him to be out there,” said Jenkins. “He was totally involved in the bench, in the timeouts. Being fully integrated with the crowd, help to push us towards this victory. … A moment like that can really test you, but our team kept fighting.”
After the game, Morant tweeted the quote, “Each setback is a setting for a return. God wants to bring you better than you were before,” and added, “I heard you.”
“every setback is a preparation for a return. God wants to bring you out better than you were before.”
I heard you 🙏🏽🖤– Ja Morant (@JaMorant) December 29, 2020
The title Rookie of the Year got off to an impressive start in the first two Grizzlies games, averaging 36 points and 8 assists.