Morant suspended for eight games
Video showed he had a gun in club
The NBA suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant eight games without pay on Wednesday after determining that his displaying a firearm at a club in suburban Denver earlier this month was “conduct detrimental to the league.”
Morant will miss his sixth game when the Grizzlies play in Miami on Wednesday night. He will miss the next two games and be eligible to return on Monday when Memphis plays Dallas. The games he already missed will count toward the suspension, and Morant will forfeit about $669,000 in salary.
“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” NBA commissioner
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Adam Silver said in a statement. “It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.”
Silver met with Morant in New York before announcing the league’s decision. The Grizzlies had no immediate comment; coach Taylor Jenkins was scheduled to hold his standard pregame availability Wednesday evening in Miami before the game against the Heat.
The league’s investigation, which started almost immediately after the March 4 incident in which Morant livestreamed himself on Instagram, found that he was “holding a firearm in an intoxicated state” — but did not prove that the gun was owned by Morant “or was displayed by him beyond a brief period.”
It wasn’t immediately clear if Morant will be ready to play on Monday.
Wednesday’s games
Joel Embiid had 36 points and 18 rebounds as Philadelphia won on the road in Cleveland, 118-109. James Harden added 28 points.
• The Los Angeles Lakers, without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, fell to lowly Houston, 114- 110. Kevin Porter Jr. scored 27 points as the Rockets followed a win against Boston Monday with this one vs. the Lakers.
• De’Aaron Fox hit a 3pointer with 0.7 seconds left to lift Sacramento past Chicago, 117-114, in Chicago. Fox scored 32 points on 12for-17 shooting. Domantas Sabonis had his second consecutive triple-double and 11th of the season — finishing with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists