Is Ja Morant Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Mavericks vs. Grizzlies)

Ja Morant WILL PLAY on Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Grizzlies' Ja Morant (ankle sprain) will play tonight against the Dallas Mavericks (9:30 pm ET, ESPN). Morant received another injection today for his ankle, sources said. https://t.co/Ht9bQ5cOAy
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 19, 2025

UPDATE:

ESPN's Shams Charania revealed that Ja Morant is dealing with a pretty significant ankle sprain, but he is still telling people he will play tonight. Morant received an injection for the injury and his status will be updated about an hour before tip off.

The latest surrounding Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who had an injection on his ankle Thursday, for NBA Today: pic.twitter.com/riVD2yizU6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 18, 2025

Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant is listed as questionable for Friday night's play-in tournament matchup with the Dallas Mavericks due to an ankle injury.

Morant suffered the injury in the second half of Memphis' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, but he ended up returning to the game. Now, with a few days off, Morant appears to have a good chance to suit up in this win-or-go-home matchup for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

After Tuesday's loss, Morant was adamant that he would suit up on Friday night.

Ja Morant got asked a lot about the ankle and status for Friday.

He eventually just says, "I'm playing. That's the answer I'm giving. Ain't nothing different."
— Drew Hill (@DrewHill_DM) April 16, 2025

Oddsmakers appear to believe that Morant will play as well, as the Grizzlies are set as six-point favorites in the latest odds. Memphis won three of the four meetings between these teams this season, and it finished nine games better than Dallas in the standings in the regular season.

Even though Morant is intent on playing, I think there is a different Grizzlies player that bettors should target in this matchup.

Best Grizzlies Prop Bet for Friday vs, Mavericks

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Desmond Bane OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-135)

Earlier today, I shared why Bane is a great prop target in this play-in matchup in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points:

Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane knocked down five 3-pointers in the loss to Golden State on Tuesday night, remaining as hot as ever from beyond the arc. Bane is shooting 42.1 percent from deep since the start of March, averaging nearly three 3-pointers made per game.

I’m buying him to knock down three shots from deep – something he’s done in six of his last seven games – against Dallas on Friday.

The Grizzlies may be more reliant on Bane with Morant nursing a bad ankle, and the Mavericks haven’t been great defending the 3 this season, ranking 19th in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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