Grizzlies' Ja Morant (knee) sits out Game 4 vs. Warriors
Ja Morant leaves Game 3 after re-injuring his troublesome knee late in Game 3.
The official diagnosis on Ja Morant’s right knee has come down as knee soreness, and the Memphis Grizzlies supertsar did not play in Monday’s Game 4 loss to Golden State, a defeat that saw his team trail 3-1 in their Western Conference semifinals.
Morant had been officially listed as doubtful for Game 4 with right knee soreness before Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins confirmed his absence during pregame interviews..
Morant sat for the final 6:19 of Golden State’s 142-112 victory in Game 3 win after colliding knees with Warriors guard Jordan Poole. Poole appeared to grab Morant’s knee while chasing a loose ball.
Jenkins said that Zach Kleiman, vice president of basketball operations for the Grizzlies, contacted the league office about reviewing the play. But the NBA declined to hand out any punishment and considered the play to be a normal basketball play.
Game Recap: Warriors 101, Grizzlies 98 (Golden State leads series, 3-1)
“Just trying to be matter of fact here,” Jenkins said. “This is what Ja says. This is what our medical team has said after reviewing the play. Ja was playing great and feeling great all game. The grab of the knee is what triggered the potential injury and why we took Ja out of the game. So, nothing has changed from there in terms of that was the play that triggered this.”
Morant, who limped off with 6:19 remaining in the game, was unable to do any basketball activity Sunday, Jenkins said.
Kerr shrugged several times when asked about the play Sunday and said he saw no need to discuss the latest back-and-forth between the franchises.
“I don’t have a take. Nothing to comment on. I watched the tape,” Kerr said. “… No, I don’t take it personally. I watched the play, there’s nothing to comment on.”
Brooks will be back Monday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Mark Medina is a senior writer/analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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