Memphis guard Ja Morant's status for Game 4 against Thunder remains unclear

The status of Memphis guard Ja Morant remained unknown Friday as the team faces a possible elimination game in the Western Conference series against Oklahoma City.

Morant was injured when he crashed to the floor in Game 3, an incident that contributed to the team's 114-108 loss.

Despite reports that Morant would be out for Game 4 on Saturday, interim coach Tuomas Iisalo declined to confirm that.

"They're still examining him," Iisalo said when asked about the guard's status, adding that Morant did not practice Friday.

Asked about the type of tests or evaluation conducted on Morant, Iisalo replied: "I don't know. I'm not a medical person."

Morant was on fast break with teammate Scotty Pippen Jr. when he, leaping to the basket, was struck at the feet by a stumbling Luguentz Dort. The contact led to Morant hitting the court without breaking his fall.

The play was reviewed for excessive contact, but was deemed a common foul. Morant was sprawled on the court during the review as the medical staff and teammates checked on him.

Morant started to limp off to the locker room, but came back to shoot the free throws — in case he could return to the game — missing both. That left the Grizzlies with a 67-40 lead, an advantage that had reached 29 points moments earlier.

Morant did not return, the Grizzlies blew the lead and lost as the Thunder outscored Memphis 63-31 in the second half.

Much like Iisalo, Memphis guard Desmond Bane said he was unaware of Morant's status for Game 4.

"I haven't heard anything about Ja missing the game," Bane said.

He added that limiting turnovers and maintaining control of the ball would be key to the Grizzlies capturing a win in the best-of-seven series.

Memphis built a 29-point lead in the first half before Morant's injury. The offense became stagnant with his absence and Oklahoma City's pressure defense leading to a rash of second-half turnovers. The Thunder outscored Memphis 63-31 after halftime to erase the deficit, the second-largest comeback in an NBA postseason game since play-by-play data began being recorded in the 1996-97 season.

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The only bigger comeback was from 31 points down by the L.A. Clippers against Golden State on April 15, 2019.

"We're going to have to get stops and get out in transition," Bane said. "That was huge for us, and [Morant] is a big driver of that."

Morant missed 32 games during the regular season with various ailments and injuries, including four games with right shoulder soreness and five more with left hamstring soreness. He also missed eight games with a right hip subluxation and pelvic muscle strain.

He missed the final three games of the Grizzlies' 2022 series with the Golden State Warriors after injuring his knee in Game 3 of the conference semifinals.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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