Ja Morant starts fourth quarter after injury scare vs. Timberwolves

Update — Crisis averted. Morant is back out there at the start of the fourth quarter and appears to be OK. We’ll see if this leads to anything after the game.

Memphis Grizzlies All-Star PG Ja Morant was forced to go to the locker room in the third quarter of Friday night’s game vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves with what appeared to be a lower-body injury. Morant was on the break and appeared to grab his hamstring before heading to the room under his own power. He had just 10 points in the game prior to exiting. This video says “hip” but it definitely looks more like Morant is grabbing his hamstring.

With Morant struggling for most of Thursday night, the Grizzlies have gotten nice contributions from rookie SG Zaire Williams, who is up to 21 points against the T-Wolves. The game is tight and the offense is plentiful, well, not as plentiful as the over/under suggested prior to tip-off. De’Anthony Melton and Tyus Jones should get more run at PG if Morant is unable to return to the game.

If this injury is serious, it could have a big impact on betting futures. Morant entered this game as the favorite to win Most Improved Player. The Grizzlies are also in contention for the first seed in the Western Conference at 41-19 entering Thursday’s game, third behind the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. An injury to Morant that is semi-serious would mean the Grizz could fall out of the top 3 in the conference. There’s no way Memphis does anything in the postseason without Morant, who is also getting MVP hype.