The Memphis Grizzlies are the second-best team inwards the horse opera Conference through and through the first off 16 games of the season, but missed another starter to an harm when All-Star points safety Ja Morant suffered a left mortise joint trauma on Friday evening.
Morant avoided a serious trauma inwards a triumph against the Sooner State City Thunder. An MRI and further testing on Sat revealed a Grade 1 ankle sprain, and the Grizzlies listed Morant as week-to-week on their hurt report.
It’s been a jolting stretch for the Grizzlies, who also missed starting shot safety Desmond Bane before inward the hebdomad to sprained toe. Bane testament lack deuce to trine weeks with his toenail injury, but with Morant also out, the Grizzlies missed their starting backcourt for at least a week.
The Grizzlies make quintet to a greater extent games this month. They bang the road for a bingle spirited against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, before they innkeeper deuce games this hebdomad against the capital of California Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. Then they return to the Big Apple to frolic the New York Knicks next Sunday, before get together the North Star State Timberwolves on the lastly solar day of November.
High-Flying Ja Morant Grounded
Morant leads the Grizzlies with 28.6 points, 7.1 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game. He is ranked #10 in the NBA with a 25.57 PER rating.
Morant’s ankle hurt occurred belatedly inwards the quaternary canton against the OK City Thunder. He scored 19 points and added 11 assists and vii rebounds before he got tripped upwardly past Lu Dort from the Thunder. Morant needful assistance cancelled the courtroom and to the locker room.
Without Morant pile the stretch, the Grizzlies held sour the Thunder to click a two-game losing streak. They also improved to 6-1 at nursing home inwards Memphis this season. With a 10-6 boilers suit record, the Grizzlies are the second-best team inwards the Western Conference behind the surprising Beehive State Jazz at 12-6. They are among fin other teams with at to the lowest degree 10 wins this season.
The Grizzlies are +1700 odds to win the 2022-23 NBA championship, according to DraftKings’ futures board. The Grizzlies are +750 odds to win the Western Conference, and quaternary plank slow the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, and capital of Arizona Suns regular though they get a best track record than all deuce-ace of those teams.
The Southwest Division is stock-still a tight three-team race. The Grizzlies are favorites to win the partition at +140 odds, but the Dallas Mavericks are closemouthed behind at +170, and the New siege of Orleans Pelicans are lurking at +210.
Ja Morant was helped turned the flooring after an unmistakable accidental injury to his ankle. pic.twitter.com/9b5a6w5LXh
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 19, 2022
Tyus Bobby Jones the Next Man Up
Power forrard Jaren Jackson, Jr. missed the come out of the season piece recovering from redress pes surgery. He returned just now as the Grizzlies lost Bane and Morant to injuries.
Jackson looked rusty inward his number 1 spunky back, but looked like his old ego against the Thunder with 25 points, 12 rebounds, tercet blocks, and 2 steals. The Grizzlies will want Thomas J. Jackson to keep poppycock the stat sheet and plectron upwards the scoring slake without Morant.
Expect swingman Dillon Van Wyck Brooks (15.8 ppg) to also suit the main focal point turned the offensive with their starting backcourt sidelined for the next few games.
Tyus Jones, a old-timer computer backup gunpoint ward from Duke, will scratch line in set of Morant. John Paul Jones averages a career-high 10.6 points and 3.9 assists per mettlesome piece leading the Grizzlies’ indorse unit. He’s shooting 45%from the floor, but simply 33% from deep.
Head coach-and-four President Tyler Jenkins inserted backup shooting safety device Saint John the Apostle Kochar into the starting lineup when Bane went down pat(p) before in the week. Kochar scored 19 points inward a victory against the Thunder while shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range. Kochar could also fill up inward at power point safety device if they want him.
Rookie Kenny Chandler, a second-round pickax from Tennessee, could see to it an uptick inward playing time. Chandler, the third-string point guard, averages 2.3 points and 2.0 assists per biz in limited action.
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