6:50pm: Morant is active and in the starting lineup on Tuesday, the team tweets.
10:15am: When the Grizzlies announced on Saturday that Ja Morant had been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left ankle sprain, they said he was considered “week-to-week,” signaling that he’d likely miss at least a few games. However, Morant appears to be on the verge of returning after missing only Sunday’s game in Brooklyn.
Originally listed as doubtful for Tuesday vs. Sacramento, Morant has been upgraded to questionable, the Grizzlies announced this morning (via Twitter). That doesn’t guarantee the All-NBA guard will play tonight, but it sounds like there’s a good chance he’ll do so.
If Morant doesn’t end up being activated for Tuesday’s contest, he’ll get a couple extra days off before Memphis hosts New Orleans on Friday night, so he’d be well positioned to play in that game.
With Desmond Bane sidelined due to a toe injury, Morant’s ankle sprain meant the Grizzlies were missing both parts of one of the NBA’s best backcourts on Sunday, a 12-point loss to the Nets. While Bane’s return isn’t imminent (he’s listed as out on Tuesday and will likely miss another week or two), having Morant back would be a major boon for Memphis against a Sacramento team riding a six-game win streak.
I sense a little bit of panic. One thing Memphis has not faced much is adversity.
Main stars being out is the hardest one to learn to deal with.
They’re use to players being out, Morant missed 25 games last year and they went 20-5 without him. They’re 10-7 this season with Morant and Bane missing multiple games and Jackson hasn’t even played yet.
Jackson has played. He came back about a week ago. He’s had a couple pretty good games.
Good to know, I haven’t watched the Grizz yet this season. Glad he’s back.
Morant needs to learn how to stay on the court, his play borders on reckless at times.