NBA insider reports on Ja Morant's chances of playing in Mavericks-Grizzlies

Dallas and Memphis meet on Friday night with the season on the line.

Mar 7, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) drives to the basket as Dallas Mavericks forward Kessler Edwards (20) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies will meet on Friday night for the final spot in the playoffs, as the two meet in Memphis for the NBA Play-In Tournament. All of the focus is on Memphis as the status of star Ja Morant is in question.

Morant rolled his ankle on Tuesday night in their Play-In loss to the Golden State Warriors but eventually came back in the game with a severe limp. He didn't practice on Thursday and entered the day as "questionable" on the Grizzlies' injury report, and interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said he was truly a game-time decision.

READ MORE: Projected outcome for Mavericks possible final game against Memphis Grizzlies

Apr 15, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

ESPN's Shams Charania provided the following update on Morant's availability on NBA Today: "So, in the 24 hours after that ankle sprain against the Warriors, Ja Morant underwent an MRI. On Thursday, it revealed no structural damage, but he has a severe ankle sprain, is my understanding. He underwent an injection, as well, on Thursday for the swelling and for the pain that's in that ankle. But he's telling people around the Grizzlies he's going to be playing tonight. He's determined to play, like Tim MacMahon just said, doubt he plays if this is a regular season game. This is a single-elimination game for the Grizzlies. The team will evaluate him pregame tonight, so around 40-60 minutes on the clock, we will know definitively whether Ja Morant will play."

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

Even if Morant plays against the Mavericks, he will be far from 100%, which may help the Mavericks' chances of sneaking past the Grizzlies into the playoffs. Memphis won the season series 3-1 with Morant putting up 31 points in both games he played against the Mavericks this year.

Dallas and Memphis will tip off a little after 8:30 CST on ESPN.

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