NEW YORK – Grizzlies star Ja Morant left the Barclays Center’s new backyard area in a wheelchair Monday night after stringing his left ankle in the second quarter of Memphis’ 116-111 victory over Brooklyn Nets.
X-rays from Morant’s ankle showed no fractures, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, and are expected to undergo an MRI immediately on 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 an update will likely take place on Tuesday in Boston, where the Grizzlies are scheduled to play the Celtics on Wednesday.
“It’s so hard to see Ja coming down,” Jenkins said. “I know he’ll be back and he’ll be fine. We’ll have more updates as we go through, but so far, so good.”
The 6-foot-3 guard was injured when he tried to block Nets Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s attack and landed stingingly on Luwawu-Cabarrot’s leg.
Morant did not put his weight on his left leg as he jumped to the edge before collapsing near the Grizzlies bench. He rolled on the floor in pain as the training staff came to him.
A few minutes later, a staff member brought a wheelchair, and Morant’s teammates helped him into it. Morant was immediately turned over in the locker room and was later ruled out for the rest of the game.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, Morant returned to the Grizzlies bench wearing a protective boot on his left foot. He limped into the team group during breaks and shared with his teammates.
“What a wonderful show for him to be there,” Jenkins said. “He was fully involved on the bench over time. Being fully integrated with the boys, help us push for this victory … Such a moment can really test you, but our boys continued to fight. . “
After the match, Morant wrote on Twitter the quote, “every failure is a configuration for a comeback. God wants to bring you out better than you were before “and added” I heard you “.
“Every failure is a setup for a comeback. God wants to get you out better than you were before.”
I heard you– Ja Morant (@JaMorant) December 29, 2020
The new debutant of the year started at an impressive start with the Grizzlies’ first two games, averaging 36 points and 8 assists.