Grizzlies woes grow with Ja Morant injury. How long will the 25-year-old be out for?

It was never going to be easy for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2025 playoffs as they were pitted against top seed in the Western Conference in the shape of OKC Thunder.

The three games to date in the best-of-seven series have been one sided with the Grizzlies struggling to lay a glove on a team inspired by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who scored 31 points as part of Thursday’s win for OKC.

If Memphis are to deliver a miraculous turnaround in the series, it seems they will need to do it without key player Ja Morant after the guard was forced off during the game at the FedEx Forum on Thursday.

Morant injury

Memphis were forced to played without Morant in the second half after he suffered a hip injury late in the first half.

The 25-year-old had 15 points and five assists before the injury and was diagnosed with a left hip contusion. Without Morant, the Grizzlies were outscored 63-31 in the second half.

Morant left the game with 3:15 to go in the second quarter after falling hard on his left side while soaring in for a layup on a fastbreak. Morant was undercut by Luguentz Dort on the play and hobbled slowly to the sideline after spending several minutes on the floor being attended by the Grizzlies’ training staff.

Morant returned to the court to take two free throws, which he missed, before being helped to the locker room. He will be evaluated on Friday with the results determining who long he will be away from the court.

Post game, Grizzlies teammate Scottie Pippen Jr. stated: “Morant is the head of the snake, so when you lose someone like that, it definitely alters and shifts the whole team”.

The Grizzlies face OKC at home again in Game 4 on Saturday and if the formbook is to be observed, are poised to be the first team departing the playoffs against an insatiable Thunder.

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