Morant will remain away from Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will be away from the team for at least four more games, the team said on Wednesday, shortly after police announced that he will not face charges in Colorado related to the livestreamed video is which he appeared to be displaying a gun in a strip club.
“Ja Morant will continue to remain away from the team for at least the next four games,” the team said with no further comment.
That means Morant will miss games against Golden State on Thursday, home against Dallas on Saturday, at Dallas on Monday and at Miami on Wednesday. The earliest he could play is March 17 at San Antonio, and there’s no guarantee of that.
Meanwhile, the Glendale Police Department said it looked into the video, which was a stream that Morant showed on his Instagram channel while he seemed to be holding a firearm, and found no proof that a crime was committed. Glendale is an enclave surrounded by the city of Denver.
“In this case, it should be noted that on the night in question the GPD did not receive any calls for service at the nightclub regarding a weapon of any type,” police said. “Subsequently, no disturbances were reported, and no citizens or patrons of the club came forward to make a complaint.
“The investigation also concluded that no one was threatened or menaced with the firearm and in fact no firearm was ever located.”
The NBA has said it is also looking into the matter, and has not announced any sanctions — such as a suspension — against Morant.
Police said the investigation confirmed that “the incident” — Morant was not named in the release, which only made reference to “a prominent NBA player” — occurred at an establishment called Shotgun Willies in Glendale. The two-time All-Star streamed the video in the early hours of Saturday, after the Grizzlies played in Denver on Friday night.
The Grizzlies said Morant would be away from the team for at least two games — those were Sunday and Tuesday — and Morant later said that he decided “to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
It is not clear what that means. Morant has not commented further and the Grizzlies have not shared what steps he is taking or why he is seeking help.
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES McCollum, Pelicans hold off Mavericks
CJ McCollum scored 13 of his 32 points in the final four minutes, and the New Orleans Pelicans held off the visiting Dallas Mavericks 113-106.
McCollum’s compelling finish came after each team lost a top player. The Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram left late in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle after scoring 12 points. Dallas star Luka Doncic left in the third with a strained left thigh after scoring 15 points.
CELTICS 115, TRAIL BLAZERS 93
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and made six 3-pointers, and host Boston beat Portland to snap a three-game skid.
Tatum’s 36th game this season with 30 or more points helped the Celtics avoid their first four-game losing streak. Derrick White added 21 points and five assists. Al Horford finished with 17 points, six rebounds and assists.
CAVALIERS 104, HEAT 100
Darius Garland scored 25 points, Donovan Mitchell added 18, and Cleveland assured itself of a second consecutive winning season with a victory at Miami.
The Cavaliers (42-26) are now two wins away from matching last season’s win total, with 14 games left.
HAWKS 122, WIZARDS 120
De’Andre Hunter’s threepoint play with 1:07 remaining put Atlanta ahead to stay, and the Hawks held off host Washington despite a career-high 43 points by Kristaps Porzingis.