Ja Morant injury update: Grizzlies star sprains ankle, briefly exits Play-In Tournament game vs. Warriors

Gilbert McGregor

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Ja Morant injury update: Grizzlies star sprains ankle, briefly exits Play-In Tournament game vs. Warriors image

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was dealt another injury setback in the third quarter of the team's Play-In Tournament matchup with the Warriors.

The injury occurred as Morant landed from a baseline floater that cut the deficit to two points. He was fouled on the play and the and-one opportunity would allow Memphis to come within one point after trailing by as many as 20 points in the game.

Morant landed on the foot of a Warriors defender and rolled his ankle. He remained on the floor for some time before limping to the bench and returning to the floor to make the free throw.

After the free throw, Morant hobbled to the bench, where Memphis' training staff tended to him. Here is the latest on his injury.

Ja Morant injury update

The Grizzlies star suffered an apparent ankle injury late in the third quarter of the 7-vs-8 Play-In Tournament game between Memphis and Golden State.

Morant briefly exited the bench area and was tended to by members of the Grizzlies' training staff. He was given some medication in the tunnel toward the team's locker room. 

Morant returned to the game with 9:25 remaining in the regulation. While he had a noticeable limp, Morant's return suggests that the training staff did not deem the injury serious enough to be made worse by playing.

After hobbling initially, Morant's limp was not as noticeable late in Tuesday's loss. Postgame, TNT's Allie LaForce reported that Morant would not receive an X-Ray postgame and that the team would assess him further when they return to Memphis.

On Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Morant underwent an MRI on his ankle on Thursday that revealed no structural damage. He is dealing with a severe ankle sprain and received an injection ahead of the Grizzlies matchup with the Mavericks in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

This story will be updated.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.