Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant has been ruled out for Saturday's Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of a left hip contusion.
Morant sustained the injury during the second quarter of Thursday's Game 3 loss after taking a hard fall. He made contact with Thunder guard Lu Dort on a fast break attempt.
The Grizzlies expressed relief the injury was not severe after the incident. Interim coach Tuomas Iisalo stated that Morant avoided a major injury.
Oklahoma City won Game 3, tying the second-biggest comeback in NBA postseason history after trailing by 29 points. The Thunder now hold a 3-0 lead in the series against the Thunder vs Grizzlies.
Morant exited Game 3 with 15 points and five assists. His status for potential future games was not immediately known, though the team indicated more testing would occur.
This injury follows previous hip issues for Morant this season. He missed eight games earlier after a fall against the Los Angeles Lakers and missed 32 regular season games overall due to various injuries.
Read the latest on Ja Morant's injury status ahead of Game 4.
The team received encouraging news regarding the timeline for his return, indicating he would not be out for an extended period.
The positive outlook suggests Morant should be able to participate in a normal offseason before the 2025-26 season.
Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said, "Fortunately, he's avoided a serious injury, and that's a big positive."
