UPDATE: Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins told the media before Sunday’s game with the Kings that he expects star point guard Ja Morant to miss only “a couple of weeks” with the sprained left knee suffered in Friday’s loss to the Hawks.
If so, it’s just about the best-case scenario after Morant was carried off the court with what initially seemed to be a much more severe injury.
“We’re so thankful we avoided a significant injury,” Jenkins said. “We expect a full recovery, and this is nothing long term that we’re worried about.”
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis point guard Ja Morant left in the first quarter of the Grizzlies’ game against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night with a left knee sprain.
The injury happened with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter. Morant was on the offensive end when he came up hobbling. He limped along the baseline to the Memphis bench. He was almost immediately helped back to the Memphis locker room.
Ja Morant leaves game with undisclosed injury
Replays did not appear to show any significant contact on the play that Morant was hurt. The team announced a short time later that he would not return to the game and later in the evening announced that preliminary imaging revealed a left knee sprain.
🖤🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/d3W27UOCfQ
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) November 27, 2021
Morant, the second pick in the 2019 draft out of Murray State, is eighth in the NBA in scoring at 25.3 points a game. He also averages 7.1 assists. He was the 2019 Rookie of the Year.
