NEW YORK — Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant left the Barclays Center court area in a wheelchair Monday night after spraining his left ankle in the second quarter of Memphis’ 116-111 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets.
X-rays on Morant’s ankle revealed no fracture, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and he is expected to undergo an MRI as soon as Tuesday.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins didn’t have an official update on Morant’s status after the game but said Morant would continue to be evaluated and there would likely be an update Tuesday from Boston, where the Grizzlies are scheduled to play the Celtics on Wednesday.
“So tough to see Ja go down,” Jenkins said. “I know he’s going to bounce back and be fine. We’ll have more updates as we’re going through, but so far so good.”
The 6-foot-3 guard was hurt when he attempted to block Nets forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot‘s shot and landed awkwardly on Luwawu-Cabarrot’s foot.
Morant didn’t put weight on his left leg as he hopped to the sideline before collapsing next to the Grizzlies’ bench. He rolled on the floor in pain while the training staff came to him.
After a few minutes, a staff member brought over a wheelchair and Morant’s teammates helped him into it. Morant was immediately wheeled to the locker room and later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Morant returned to the Grizzlies’ bench wearing a protective boot on his left leg. He limped into the team huddle during timeouts and doled out high-fives to his teammates.
“What a great display for him to be out there,” Jenkins said. “He was fully involved on the bench, in the timeouts. Being fully integrated with the guys, help push us to this victory. … A moment like that can really test you, but our guys just kept fighting.”
After the game, Morant tweeted the quote, “every setback is a setup for a comeback. God wants to bring you out better than you were before,” and added, “heard you.”
The reigning Rookie of the Year has gotten off to an impressive start through the Grizzlies’ first two games, averaging 36 points and 8 assists.
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