Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant did not practice on Thursday due to an ankle injury and is a game-time decision for the team’s Play-In Tournament game on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks, interim head coach Tomas Iisalo told reporters.
“My feel with him is he’ll do absolutely everything in order to play,” Iisalo said. “If he’s physically able to do it, he will do it. It’s a legitimate game-time decision.
“If he feels he’s good to go, we have full trust in him,” Iisalo continued. “He’s also a very good judge of how and if he’s ready to go or not. I’m leaning on the experts in this situation, which clearly I’m not in the medical department.”
Morant rolled his ankle during the Grizzlies’ loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday. Late in the third quarter of that game, Morant went up for a shot and landed on Buddy Hield’s foot, which caused his right ankle to collapse.
While Morant eventually returned to the game in the fourth quarter, he was not his usual self. The Grizzlies lost in devastating fashion when they were called for a five-second violation with 5.4 seconds remaining while trailing by just three points. After the defeat, Morant declared that he would be on the court on Friday.
“I’m playing. That’s basically the answer I’m giving,” Morant said. “It ain’t nothing different.”
If the Grizzlies had won Tuesday’s game, they would have earned the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Now, they face a must-win game against the Mavericks to keep their season alive — at least for a few more weeks. The winner will get the No. 8 seed, and a first-round matchup with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, while the loser will go home.
This has been a frustrating season for Morant and the Grizzlies, who hoped to make some noise in the Western Conference again after an injury-riddled 2023-24 campaign.
Instead, they finished eighth in the West at 48-34. Injuries limited Morant to 50 games, and he was recently fined $75,000 for an on-court celebration resembling finger guns. The front office, meanwhile, fired long-time coach Taylor Jenkins in March in a stunning move with just weeks remaining in the regular season.
There’s still a chance for the Grizzlies to avoid the lottery for the second consecutive season, but even if they make the playoffs at this point, there’s little hope for them to make a run.
