Mavs’ Klay Thompson pushes back after post-game jab from Grizzlies’ Ja Morant
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MEMPHIS — Klay Thompson had words for Ja Morant on Saturday night after the Dallas Mavericks fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 102-96, at FedExForum.
Morant confronts Thompson despite sitting out
Morant, sidelined for a third consecutive game with a left calf strain, approached Thompson near midcourt as time expired and exchanged words. Security staff and coaches quickly separated the two.
“He’s a funny guy. He has a lot to say, especially for someone who rarely takes accountability,” Thompson told reporters, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
On-court tension throughout the night
The encounter capped a chippy evening. Thompson challenged Santi Aldama after the Memphis forward tripped Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, a foul later upgraded to a flagrant 1. Thompson also traded verbal shots with Vince Williams Jr., resulting in offsetting technical fouls.
Morant’s parting shot
During a Grizzlies television interview moments later, Morant fist-bumped teammate Cam Spencer and said, “Tell him who the best shooter in the house was. It wasn’t bruh from Golden State.” Thompson had scored a season-high 22 points but missed a potential game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds.
Thompson cites suspensions, injuries
Thompson dismissed Morant’s remark and noted the guard’s recent absences. “It’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench,” he said. “That’s kind of been the story of his career so far, just leaving us wanting more. When you’re a star, it comes with responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste.”
Morant has served suspensions in each of the past three seasons—eight games, then 25, and a one-game team ban earlier this year—and is shooting 36 percent from the field and 17 percent from three-point range, both career lows.
Lingering memories of 2022 playoffs
Thompson, 35, linked Saturday’s incidents to what he called Memphis’ “dirty stuff” during the 2022 Western Conference semifinals, when he was still with Golden State and Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks committed a flagrant foul that fractured Gary Payton II’s elbow.
While Thompson said he respects the franchise’s former “Grit ’n’ Grind” era, he offered a blunt assessment of the current roster: “They just talk a lot. They’ve always talked a lot and never really backed it up. Talk is cheap.”
Source: Hoops Wire
