In a shocking turn of events, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant possibly broke his arm or hand after landing hard on the court following a collision with Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
The incident happened midway through the fourth quarter, when Morant drove to the basket and was met by Davis, who was trying to take a charge. Morant soared over Davis and crashed onto the floor, clutching his right hand area in agony. He screamed out in pain and then immediately got up and ran back to the Grizzlies locker room, leaving his teammates and fans in disbelief.
The Grizzlies did not provide an immediate update on Morant’s condition, but an X-ray would probably determine the extent of his injury. The Grizzlies were trailing by six points at the time of Morant’s exit, and so his absence is could be the deciding factor down the stretch.
Morant’s injury could be a devastating blow for the Grizzlies, who are searching for their first championship, and rely heavily on their dynamic point guard. Morant averaged 26.2 points, 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game this season, leading the Grizzlies to a surprising second seed in the Western Conference.
If Morant is unable to play for the rest of the series, or even longer, it would crush the Grizzlies’ championship hopes and put them at a huge disadvantage against the Lakers, who have two of the best players in the league in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Update: Ja Morant returned to the bench with his hand heavily taped. The extent of the injury is still unknown.
