The Memphis Grizzlies avoided a losing streak after winning 125-91 on Saturday against the Miami Heat in the FedExForum. Memphis was without two-time All-Star Ja Morant (right shoulder soreness), so it was former No. 4 pick in the draft out of Michigan State Jaren Jackson Jr. who was responsible for the scoring load.
Jackson led the Grizzlies with 31 points on 13-for-18 shooting in just his second game back after suffering a left ankle sprain against the Atlanta Hawks on Mar. 3rd.
Morant has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury for months now. The former Rookie of the Year sprained his right AC joint on Dec. 27th against the New Orleans Pelicans and has taken games off since then due to the repeated soreness.
While fans are used to seeing Morant appear on the injury report with a shoulder issue, there is now a new injury designation for the star guard. On their official injury report for Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings, the Grizzlies announced Morant is out due to left hamstring soreness.
This is certainly unfortunate news for a Grizzlies team battling for positioning in the competitive Western Conference.
Status Report: @memgrizz at @SacramentoKings, March 17: pic.twitter.com/e7jBGaYqMr
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) March 17, 2025
This will be Morant's second straight missed game, as his last outing came in the 133-124 loss to the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Morant did all he could by supplying a season-high 44 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 17-for-22 shooting.
On the season, Morant is averaging 22.3 points and 7.4 assists on 44.9% shooting in 43 games played.
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This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 8:00 PM.