Ja Morant Officially Ruled Out for Grizzlies vs. Warriors Game 4 with Knee Injury

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A difficult second-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors just got even more challenging for the Memphis Grizzlies.

While speaking to reporters ahead on Monday, Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins officially ruled out Morant for Game 4 with a knee injury he suffered during a Game 3 loss.

The league’s Most Improved Player of the Year suffered the setback on a controversial play in which Warriors guard Jordan Poole grabbed his knee. The Grizzlies reached out to the NBA about the play, although Poole was not disciplined for his actions.

It was part of a physical series that saw Draymond Green ejected from Game 1 for a flagrant-2 foul, Dillon Brooks ejected from Game 2 and suspended for Game 3 for a hard foul in transition that fractured Gary Payton II’s elbow, and Green the center of attention again when he was bleeding after Xavier Tillman caught him with an elbow to the face in Game 2.

Green temporarily exited that contest and flipped off the Memphis fans who were booing him as he left the court.

Morant is a major loss for the Grizzlies after he spearheaded their attack this season by averaging 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game during the regular season.

If there is a silver lining for the Grizzlies, it is the fact they went 20-5 without him in 2021-22. It will be up to the supporting cast to play well in his absence once again if they are going to defeat the Warriors.