Grizzlies’ Morant helps team stay in the game
Ja Morant leaned over in the Memphis Grizzlies tunnel. His hands were on his knees, holding a white towel, looking exhausted.
That moment came with 3:53 left in the first quarter Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crpyto.com Arena. He later went back into the game and battled, but it was clear he wasn't all the way back after dealing with an illness in recent days.
Morant finished the game with 19 points and 10 assists, but the Grizzlies were defeated by the Clippers 117-106. This was the Grizzlies' first loss this season with Morant in the lineup.
Three Grizzlies players have missed games with illnesses in recent days. Morant and Santi Aldama sat out Thursday's loss against the Denver Nuggets, and John Konchar was a late scratch before Friday's game.
Morant shot 7-for-19 as he pushed through with hopes of leading Memphis to a win. Most of his shots bounced off the front rim and fell short, often an indication a player is battling fatigue.
Memphis didn't have Morant on the injury report ahead of the game, which made it clear that he would be playing. The Grizzlies' record (10-21) doesn't give them much margin for error going forward, but Morant didn't agree with the notion that they're playing with an extra sense of urgency after a slow start to the season.
“We try to win every game we play,” he said. “That's our mindset, no matter what happened before.”
Morant's presence on the floor was enough to keep the Grizzlies in the game, but there were several other factors that led to the Clippers building a lead as big as 21 points.
Desmond Bane didn't score in the first quarter after picking up two quick fouls. He finished the game with 18 points on just 11 shot attempts. Marcus Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. each led the Grizzlies with 22 points.
Jackson finished with just two rebounds, and that's an area where the Clippers dominated. Memphis centers Xavier Tillman Sr. and Bismack Biyombo combined for four points and six rebounds in 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Clippers (19-12) got 15 points and 20 rebounds from starting center Ivica Zubac. They turned 11 offensive rebounds into 16 secondchance points. By comparison, Memphis finished with three.
Considering that the Clippers were one of the NBA'S best teams throughout December, there should be no shame in Friday's loss. Especially after flying from Denver the night before and with Morant feeling under the weather.
The Grizzlies get Saturday off as they return home for Sunday's game against the Sacramento Kings (7 p.m. CT, Bally Sports Southeast) at Fedexforum.
More help should be on the way. Luke Kennard and Derrick Rose both were upgraded to doubtful before Friday's game. That's an indication they are closing in on a return. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins had previously noted the end of the year as a possible return date for Kennard.
Memphis is currently six games behind the Houston Rockets for a play-in spot, but the attention now is more on getting the pieces together healthy and seeing what this team can become.
“One game at a time,” Smart said. “Control what you can control. You looking ahead, that's not going to do anything for you. We don't have that luxury. We got to look at it like one day at a time and we got to be in the present and that's the only way we're going to fix it.”