NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ja Morant stood near the end of the Memphis bench, cheering on his teammates but leaving his right arm hanging below his injured shoulder, as Memphis closed out a 132-124 victory over the Pelicans on Friday night.
Morant was hurt when he crashed into hard but legal screen set by Daniel Theis during the third quarter. The collision sent Morant crashing to the floor in a way that led officials to initially whistle Theis for a foul before overturning that call on replay review.
Morant walked to the locker room to be examined and ultimately returned to the bench, but not to the game. He used his left arm to point triumphantly at teammates after they hit clutch shots in the final minutes.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins had “no update” to provide on Morant's condition after the game. Just about one year ago, a torn labrum in the same shoulder ended Morant's 2023-24 season.
“Obviously, he took a nice shot there to the shoulder, but we'll get more of an evaluation in the next couple days,” Jenkins said, before praising the “great resolve” his team showed in holding the Pelicans' off after Morant went out.
“Losing somebody like that is never easy,” Memphis guard Desmond Bane said. “But we kept our composure and were able to make plays down the stretch.”
The Grizzlies were scheduled to have updates by Saturday on all injured players heading into Sunday night's game at Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City.
Morant was able to dress on his own at his locker after the game in New Orleans. He appeared to be in good spirits and did not wear a sling. But he also continued to keep his right arm largely still and hanging by his side.
The 25-year-old Morant has averaged about 21 points per game this season — a bit below his career average of about 24 points per game.
Earlier this season, Morant missed eight games with a posterior hip subluxation and multiple Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains. The Grizzlies (22-10) went 5-3 during that stretch.
Morant scored 25 points in New Orleans, but had just one point in the second half before his injury. Still, the Grizzlies surpassed the 130-point threshold, one night after scoring a franchise record 155 points in a victory over Toronto.
The Grizzlies current offensive flow, Bane said, is “balanced, it’s together, it’s fast — all of those things.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Brett Martel, The Associated Press
