Ja Morant Gets Another Injury, Warriors Win Over Grizzlies In Game 3

Jordan Poole grabbed Ja Morant’s ailing right knee as they fought for a loose ball late in the late game between Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

However, Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins and his Grizzlies players defended their strict approach as not nasty.

rhythm & grizz: @JaMorant 4th quarter edition 🎵🔥 pic.twitter.com/HwbIVmKAEx

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) May 4, 2022

“He’s getting evaluated now. Nothing further. We just watched the replay,” said Jenkins.

“He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I’m actually going to be very curious to see what happens after that.”

The game ended as the Warriors won over the Grizzlies 142-112 and gave Golden State a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Warriors vs Grizzlies match highlights

Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors maintained their composure throughout the entire game, slowly but surely winning it.

Golden State’s Klay Thompson scored 21 points and nine rebounds, while Stephen Curry scored 30 points.

“We were just too frenetic to start off the game,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Morant’s last-second 3 put the Grizzlies up 64-57 and gave him 17 of his 34 points after a 47-point outing in Game 2. But Morant couldn’t do it alone for Memphis, as he limped out with 6:19 left in the game.

In the wake of Green’s appeal for the offense to improve the defense, Golden State dominated with a balanced approach and equal vigor. He contributed five points and five rebounds.

In the first half, Poole scored 27 points and Andrew Wiggins added 17 for a significant lead of 10-0.

The Warriors trailed 28-26 when Curry made a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left in the opening quarter after he missed his first two shots.

Memphis scored 6 of 9 shot attempts to start the game. Morant scored 31 points in the first half, and Williams dunked to give Memphis a 21-8 lead.

Warriors closed the quarter with an 18-7 run as Grizzlies made just three of their next 12 shots.

Game of fouls

When Morant battled to keep possession of the ball, Poole and Andrew Wiggins surrounded him at the top of the 3-point arc.

“When we doubled him, I hit the ball, l was going for the ball. Obviously, you don’t want to see anybody get hurt, I’m not even that type of player,” said Poole.

“I respect everybody. Obviously, hopefully, he gets better and we can see him out there next game.”

Morant left Chase Center without speaking to reporters, but he tweeted and then deleted a video of the play on his Twitter page with the phrase “broke the code”.

A controversial, offensive foul call also resulted in ejection for Memphis forward Kyle Anderson with 6:19 remaining.

In addition, in the first quarter of the Tuesday night match, Dillon Brooks hit Gary Payton II’s head, who then fell awkwardly, fractured his left elbow, and caused ligament and muscle damage.

The incident resulted in a Flagrant 2 foul and suspension for Brooks. Kerr referred to it as “breaking the code”, saying that the play was “dirty” and violated the “NBA code.” The incident might endanger Payton’s career.

The NBA has announced the following: pic.twitter.com/2r1t2GNlHh

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 5, 2022

At Chase Center on Monday night, Brooks will be back in action for Game 4. It’s unknown whether Morant will be able to participate in the game.