Ja Morant exits with hamstring injury after scary Grizzlies fall

Ja Morant left Wednesday’s win over the Lakers early due to a hamstring injury, though the issue didn’t appear to be too worrisome. 

The Grizzlies missed an alley-oop when he tried to throw down a dunk off a lob pass, but wound up going high above the rim.

However, he missed the ball and took a hard fall to the floor. 

Los Angeles picked up the loose ball, and the play quickly went down to the other end of the court. 

Morant had been slow to get back up, and he limped off the floor before making his way down the tunnel. 

The Grizzlies initially said that Morant was doubtful to return due to the hamstring issue, but the Memphis star never came back into the game. 

Morant told reporters “I’m good” when asked about the injury after the game, but also added “You will find out when Grizz PR puts the tweet out,” according to The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill.

Morant had 20 points in the win with five assists and four rebounds.

It’s unclear if he’ll play in Friday’s game when the Grizzlies play the Wizards. 

Morant had made his presence felt in the game as he went head-to-head with NBA superstar LeBron James, even picking up a technical foul after Morant seemed to purposefully bump James after a big basket. 

James expressed excitement to see Morant back on the court after he played just nine games in 2023-24 due to a 25-game suspension and a season-ending injury. 

“It’s great to have him back out there for sure,” James told reporters. 

“Two guys from the inner city that loves to compete,” he added about the back and forth with Morant. “We all grew up playing on the blacktop, playing outside and competing at a high level with no cameras around. It was just a bunch of s–t talking and going out and playing the game. That’s what the essence of the game is all about.”