The Memphis Grizzlies are on the brink of elimination and need to win out against the Golden State Warriors to keep their season alive.
The Grizzlies, the two-seed in the Western Conference, lost to the Warriors in Game 4 without superstar guard Ja Morant, falling to a 3-1 deficit in the series. Morant missed the contest with a knee injury he suffered in Game 3. Now, it looks like Memphis will have to prepare to be without him indefinitely.
What is Morant's injury and how long will he be out? Here's everything we know below.
What is Ja Morant's injury?
Morant suffered a right knee injury in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the Warriors, forcing him to miss a crucial Game 4.
Ja was frustrated after an apparent injury on this play.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 8, 2022
Hope he's okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/aXt1GNFkSQ
MORE: Ja Morant injury & Jordan Poole accusation, explained
Morant appeared on the Game 4 injury report with "knee soreness" as the team awaited his MRI results to determine the extent of the injury.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Morant has a bone bruise in his right knee.
Will Ja Morant play in Game 5?
The Grizzlies announced that Morant will be out for Game 5 and the remainder of the postseason is in jeopardy due to the bone bruise in his right knee.
"Morant underwent an MRI, and a subsequent evaluation has revealed a bone bruise in his right knee. Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the postseason but is expected to make a full recovery," Grizzlies PR tweeted.
Today the @memgrizz announced the following medical update: pic.twitter.com/szmKeTFdHa
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) May 10, 2022
This injury spells an end to Morant's stellar postseason, where he averaged 27.1 points, 9.8 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
Who will step up in Ja Morant's absence?
The Grizzlies were impressive in games without Morant this season, going 20-5 without their All-Star guard.
In Game 4, the Grizzlies elected to start reserve guard Tyus Jones in Morant's place. Jones is one of the best backup point guards in the league and often served as the interim starter any time Morant – or another Grizzlies' backcourt member – missed games this season.
In 23 starts, Jones averaged 12.7 points, 6.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from three.
He was as solid as can be in Game 4, going for 19 points, six rebounds and five assists in Morant's absence.
Reserve point forward Kyle Anderson also took on more of a ball-handling role for the Grizzlies in Game 4, going for 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field with eight boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Where the Grizzlies missed Morant the most in Game 4 was in the fourth quarter, where the All-Star guard has elevated his game to another level. He scored the team's final 15 points in their Game 2 victory over the Warriors and only Chris Paul and Stephen Curry have scored more points in the fourth quarter in these playoffs.
Without Morant's ability as a closer, the Grizzlies surrendered a fourth-quarter lead to the Warriors to fall into a 3-1 hole.
After the Game 4 loss, co-star Jaren Jackson Jr. acknowledged Morant's absence as one of the keys to giving up a lead.
"You know how Ja is in the fourth quarters," Jackson said of Morant. "He dominates pretty much every fourth quarter. I've got to look at it, see how the looks were for sure, but I think we were just missing. We just missed.
"We had a chance. We had the lead. Then we just kind of lost it, you know what I mean?"
The Grizzlies will have to establish a new closer with Morant likely done for the playoffs, and they'll have to find one fast.
Memphis will host the Warriors on Wednesday, May 11 at 9:30 p.m. on TNT with their season on the line.
