Injury Update: Ja Morant expected to miss Game 4

The Golden State Warriors regained control of the series after a dominating 142-112 Game 3 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. However, the most significant storyline to come out of Game 3 may have been the injury to Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant. On Sunday, Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins announced that Morant is likely to miss Game 4 according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Morant reportedly hurt his knee late in the fourth quarter after coming into contact with Jordan Poole on a double team. Following the game, the play became controversial as both Morant and Jenkins seemingly implied that Poole committed a dirty play.

Poole and the rest of the Warriors denied any malicious intent and after being reviewed by the league, no further action was deemed necessary.

The absence of Morant for Game 4 will have a huge impact on the series, especially with Golden State already up 2-1. Morant has powered the Grizzlies offense and is the main reason this series has been competitive. The Warriors have no answer for him as he puts constant pressure at the rim and finishes with an array of acrobatic moves at the basket. Without having to worry about Morant, the chances of Golden State extending their home playoff winning streak increases, but with the way this series has gone, things can change in a moment’s notice, so we’ll see how things go on Monday.