Ja Morant, the emphis Grizzlies player who suffered a right hand injury during Sunday’s 2023 NBA Playoffs loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, said that his participation in Game 2 is “in jeopardy.”
Midway through the fourth quarter, when Morant, 23, tried to dunk over Anthony Davis, he hurt his right hand.Morant was penalized for an offensive foul, which caused him to grimace in discomfort and head to the locker room. Moments later, he went back to the bench, but he was absent for the game’s closing minutes.
After the loss, Morant told the media that he couldn’t even undo a pair of balled-up socks with his right hand because it “feels like it’s one thing after another.”
Morant’s X-rays came back negative, ruling out a fracture, according to Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, but he was still in a lot of discomfort.The Grizzlies went 10-8 without Morant this year after going 20-5 without him last season.
The Lakers will still need to perform well in Game 2 on Wednesday because there are still plenty of threats, even if Memphis collapsed when Morant exited the game on Sunday.
Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. finished the contest with a game-high 31 points and Desmond Bane added 22. Morant had 18 points before the injury.
Jenkins, 38, also stated that Morant will undergo further evaluation before his status for the remainder of the first-round series becomes clear.
