The Memphis Grizzlies announced Monday that guard Ja Morant will miss a minimum of two weeks after suffering a Grade 1 strain in his right calf during the first quarter of Saturday’s road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Morant exited with 6:01 remaining in the opening period after scoring seven points on 2-for-2 shooting. He had already sat out last Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics because of a sore right ankle.
The injury arrives as Memphis rides a four-game skid and has fallen in eight of its past nine contests heading into Tuesday night’s meeting with the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.
The 26-year-old, a two-time NBA All-Star, is averaging career lows in minutes (28.8), overall shooting (35.9 percent), three-point accuracy (16.7 percent) and rebounds (3.5), while committing a career-high 3.8 turnovers per game.
Morant was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team following an Oct. 31 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers after a postgame exchange with head coach Tuomas Iisalo. He returned to action on Nov. 3 against the Detroit Pistons.
Now in the third season of a five-year, $197.2 million contract signed in 2022, Morant has appeared in just 59 games over the past two years because of injuries and two separate suspensions linked to gun-related incidents.
Source: ESPN
