Source: Christian Petersen / Getty
The middle-of-the-pack
Memphis Grizzlies are sitting at 3-3 right now, but
Ja Morant is upset about Friday night’s 117-112 loss to the Lakers not going his way.
What started off as an evenly matched competition with the first quarter ending 31-27 in favor of the
LeBron James-less Lakers, went downhill. In the second quarter, the Grizzlies poured in 42 points and took a 14-point lead into the half.
However, most of the scoring came from Memphis’ supporting cast—Jaren Jackson Jr., Jaylen Wells, and others —rather than their star, Morant.
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Since 12 was having an off night, the Lakers were able to chip away at that lead in the third quarter, as momentum flipped. The lead switched back and forth, but it was clear in the fourth quarter as the Lakers started to pull away. Morant disappeared, only scoring 8 points that night on 3-of-14 shooting, while
Luka Doncic dropped 44 points and 12 rebounds.
Morant made it abundantly clear after the game how upset he was with the coach’s game plan, so when he was asked about game-time mistakes, he repeatedly told the media, “Go ask the coaching staff.”
When the media asked him why he lacked his usual energy, he instructed them to “go ask the coaching staff why.”
Finally, he asked what could have been done differently for the Grizzlies to come away with the victory, and again, Morant says, “According to them, probably don’t play me.”
The Grizzlies staff is led by Tuomas Iisalo, replacing
Taylor Jenkins, who was fired last season despite being the winningest coach in franchise history.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Morant’s comments earned him a one-game suspension.
“Suspension comes as a result of Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo challenging Morant’s leadership and effort in a postgame exchange after loss to the Lakers on Friday night — to which Morant responded in a tone deemed inappropriate, ” reports Charania.
So it appears Morant isn’t gelling with the new leadership, leading to some awkward moments.
But remember, Morant did just hit a game-winner against Phoenix, scoring 28 points in the process, and is averaging 23.4 points so far this season, so there’s no real cause for concern yet.
See how social media is reacting to Morant’s performance below.
