The Memphis Grizzlies were finally flying high in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then Ja Morant came down with a thud.
The All-Star exited Thursday’s game with an apparent injury after landing hard on his hip in the second quarter in a 114-108 loss. He was jumping for a basket on a 2-on-1 breakaway when he got undercut by the Thunder guard Luguentz Dort.
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The play was reviewed for a flagrant foul, but remained a common foul on Dort.
Morant was visibly in pain, but remained in the game long enough to shoot his free throws and missed both, then headed straight for the locker room. Had he not shot them, he would have been ineligible to return to the game.
Despite Morant toughing it out, the Grizzlies later ruled him out for the rest of the game with a hip injury. It’s the second time this postseason Morant has faced an injury, as he exited the Grizzlies’ first play-in game last week after rolling his ankle.
That was only the start of the bad news for the Grizzlies. After entering halftime with a 26-point lead, the team blew the advantage in historic fashion as the Thunder grabbed a 3-0 advantage in the series, effectively ending their season.