Ja Morant Suffers Injury Scare in Grizzlies-Thunder Game 3

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant went down with an injury against the OKC Thunder in Game 3

Apr 18, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) looks on during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies suffered two consecutive losses to start their first-round series against the best team in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Game 3 has been a different story.

After losing Games 1 and 2 by a combined 70 points, the Grizzlies came out firing on Thursday night. The Grizzlies won the first quarter 40-29 and the second quarter 37-22, storming out to a 26-point halftime lead.

Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, their incredible first half had a horrible ending. With just over three minutes left in the second quarter, Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant went up for a fastbreak dunk when Thunder guard Lu Dort undercut him.

Ja Morant is down and in pain after being undercut by Lu Dort on this play.

Hope he’s okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/I7fXC1Ae30

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 25, 2025

Morant took a hard fall and was on the ground in excruciating pain, but stayed in the contest to shoot his free throws. Ultimately, Morant left the game after missing both free-throw attempts and limped to the locker room.

Ja Morant turns around before heading to the locker room to shoot his free throws pic.twitter.com/bp3OinZB3U

— eric (@EricTweetsNBA) April 25, 2025

The Grizzlies cannot afford to play without Morant, but if he has to miss the rest of Thursday's game, Memphis might have given themselves enough of a cushion. Morant left the game after 16 minutes of action, dropping 15 points and 5 assists on 6-11 shooting from the field.

In Games 1 and 2, Morant averaged 20.0 points and 5.0 assists per game with 38.1/25.0/71.4 shooting splits. While the Grizzlies are not expected to win this series against the 68-win Thunder, they certainly do not have a chance without Morant on the floor.

Apr 20, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) walks off the court during the second half of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Grizzlies are, so far, making a statement in Game 3 in Memphis, but a Morant injury was certainly the worst-case scenario.

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