National Basketball Association

Ja Morant injures knee in loss, Warriors deny ill intent

Updated May. 8, 2022 8:20 p.m. ET

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Ja Morant sat on the Memphis Grizzlies' bench and tilted his head back, wincing in pain. He limped to the locker room midway through the fourth quarter. He left the arena before speaking to reporters.

For the Grizzlies, it was a nightmare situation.

With 6:55 left in the Grizzlies' 142-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals Saturday, Morant suffered a right knee injury after Jordan Poole pulled Morant's knee.

For a gritty, young team led by arguably the most exciting player in the game, it was a gut punch. The Grizzlies responded by coming out swinging, adding fuel to the fire of an already extremely charged series.

Morant retweeted a video of the play, writing, "Broke the code."

It was a not-so-subtle shot at Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who claimed that Dillon Brooks "broke the code" after he swung at Gary Payton II's head while midair in Game 2, which resulted in Payton suffering a fractured left elbow and Brooks being suspended for Game 3. (Morant deleted his tweet shortly after posting it.)

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins claimed that Poole "grabbed" Morant's knee "and yanked it." When Jenkins was asked if he thought Poole intentionally tried to hurt Morant, he avoided blatantly making that accusation while also not-so-subtly revealing his perspective.

"There was a grab," Jenkins said. "I'm just curious what happened."

The NBA will review the play, and if the pull is determined to have been purposeful, there’s a chance Poole could be suspended for Game 4 Monday.

The Warriors, though, vehemently rejected the narrative that any foul play occurred. After looking at a replay of the incident, Poole explained that he and Andrew Wiggins were double-teaming Morant, and he was just trying to make a play for the ball. He denied any malice.

"I don't even play like that, for real," Poole said. "That's not my type [of] game."

His teammates backed him up.

Said Klay Thompson: "I don't think there's any malicious intent from Jordan. I don't even think he's strong enough to affect somebody's knee. But we're not out there trying to hurt people or trying to club people in the back of the head on a fast break." (That last sentence, of course, was a clear dig at Brooks.)

Added Stephen Curry: "It's not a joking matter that Ja is hurt, but all the rest of it is total B.S. in terms of the conversation right now."

Regardless of intent, this much is certain: For the Grizzlies to have any shot at winning this series, Morant needs to be 100 percent healthy.

He has been absolutely outstanding in this series so far. In Game 1, he had 34 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. In Game 2, he scored 47 points in 40 minutes, including his team's final 15 points, to lead them to their lone win in the series. And in Game 3, he had 34 points on 61.9% shooting and seven assists, while the rest of his teammates appeared so sluggish on the offensive end, it was as if they were super-glued in place.

Even in the Warriors' absolute drubbing of the Grizzlies, Morant stole the show.

The Warriors were about as good as they could be. They shot the lights out (63.1% from the field). It was as if they pressed the rewind button and brought back their peak dynasty form.

But still, Morant was the most exciting player on the court. He made a 47-foot buzzer-beater at the end of the first half, a stunning display of poetic justice, using one of Curry's signature half-court shots against him — on Curry's court.

He sliced and diced his way through Warriors defenders on nearly every play, weaving past guys as though he were operating at light speed while everyone else was bound by the physical laws that confine mere mortals.

There were up-and-unders. There were long-range jumpers. There were jams.

There's a silkiness, excitement and fluidity about his game that leave anyone watching him awestruck. Even when there are bona fide superstars on the court such as Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, you find your eyes wandering to Morant.

For a 22-year-old to have that effect is thrilling. In this league, he's got next.

This season, he transformed an overlooked Grizzlies team into potential contenders, leading them to the second-best record in the league at 56-26. It remains to be seen how serious Morant's injury is and how much time, if any, he will miss. But at least the Grizzlies can take comfort in the fact that they were 20-5 when they were forced to play without him this season.

They're gritty. They're tough. And they're defensive-minded.

But let's be real: Against the Warriors in the playoffs, that's not good enough. The Warriors have institutional knowledge. They're winners. They reached the NBA Finals in five straight seasons from 2015 to 2019, winning three championships.

Without Morant, the Grizzlies would be in serious, serious trouble.

Especially in a series that keeps getting chippier and chippier, with defenses on both sides doing their best to clamp up players. At least one player has been ejected in every game, including Green in Game 1 (for a hard foul on Brandon Clarke), Brooks in Game 2 and Kyle Anderson in Game 3 (arguing calls with officials).

The Grizzlies are known as the most physical team in the league — and the Warriors have risen to the requisite level of competition. But the idea that the Warriors are dirty is another thing altogether.

When Green — still sporting a swollen eye from taking an elbow to the face from Xavier Tillman in Game 2 — was asked if he thinks the Grizzlies are trying to paint the Warriors as a dirty team, he flashed a smile.

"We've historically been viewed as a pretty soft jump-shooting team, right?" Green asked. "... Paint away."

It has been a wild, fun series. And aside from Game 3, every matchup has come down to the wire. We can only hope that we're treated to more high-level competition.

But for that to happen, Morant needs to be healthy.

On the grandest of stages, he has made one thing abundantly clear: He is the real deal, the brightest of stars even in a constellation of superstars.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.