Although Ja Morant is sidelined, he’s still making his presence known from the Grizzlies’ bench in street clothes.
Saturday night’s game between the Grizzlies and Mavericks got heated as top pick Cooper Flagg was tripped by Memphis big man Santi Aldama, which led to current Dallas guard and Warriors legend Klay Thompson coming to his young teammate’s defense. At the end of the game, the Mavs trailed by three points and Thompson took a long three-point attempt with 17 seconds left on the shot clock that fell short.
Memphis held on for a 102-96 win and after the final buzzer, Morant and Thompson exchanged words. You can watch the full sequence below:
Grizzlies second-year guard Cam Spencer scored 17 points and made three threes off the bench as he helped his squad earn their second win in a row. He was interviewed by the local broadcast after the game and Morant decided to crash the party and praise his young teammate while also getting in a jab at Thompson.
“Tell them who the best shooter in the house was,” Morant said. “It wasn’t bro from Golden State.”
Morant has missed four of Memphis’ last five games. The Grizzlies announced Monday that he sustained a right calf strain and will be reevaluated in two weeks. He has been at odds with the coaching staff so far this season, which resulted in a one-game suspension served earlier this month after public comments that challenged Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo.
Even if the situation in Memphis is sticky, Morant continues to stick up for his teammates and appears to be having fun as the Grizzlies are now on a small winning streak in his absence.