When Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is forced to leave a game with another injury — the result of his high-flying athleticism — other aspects of a victory tend to be overlooked.
Morant suffered a right hamstring injury during the third quarter of the Grizzlies’ 131-114 win Wednesday over the Los Angeles Lakers. Morant was hurt after attempting a left-handed dunk and coming down somewhat awkwardly. He left the game with 3:27 to go in the quarter, went to the locker room and did not play again.
His status for Friday’s game against the visiting Washington Wizards has not been announced.
Morant had 20 points before his departure, but two others — Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie Jaylen Wells — matched Morant’s team-leading point total and preserved a lopsided win over the Anthony Davis-less Lakers.
Jackson proved particularly unstoppable on his aggressive drives to the rim and Wells, an early-season surprise, continued to show he is capable of spending significant minutes on the floor.
Grizzlies assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo, who served as interim coach Wednesday while Taylor Jenkins missed the game due to a death in the family, said Jackson’s impact is felt when Morant is not on the floor at the same time.
“He stabilizes those minutes when Ja is not on the floor, and he gives us a big boost and kind of a change of pace also,” Iisalo said. “So, he’s always that defensive presence that also gives us a lot of that. He (gives) us big buckets at the moments we most (need) them. I think that’s the key.”
In the closing minutes of the opening quarter against the Lakers, Jackson tossed in a couple of his patented half-hook shots and in the final seconds he drained a 3-pointer that gave the Grizzlies a 10-point lead.
Wells has proved a capable fill-in starter while Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart recover from early-season injuries. His 20 points were a career-high, but his 28 minutes played were the norm. He led the team in minutes played in a Nov. 2 win at Philadelphia (36 minutes) and a Nov. 4 loss at Brooklyn (33 minutes).
“He’s been doing it, it’s no surprise now,” Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama said. “He just has to keep working. As a rookie, just coming in and being ready to play, that’s not easy to do. You can see it with other kids from his draft class. It takes some time. I’ve been there, (but) him just coming out and playing that way is super big for us.”
Washington is also getting a boost from a first-year player. The Wizards, one of the youngest teams in the NBA, got a breakout game from Kyshawn George in Monday’s 125-112 home loss to Golden State.
George, 20, scored 20 points with six rebounds and four assists. He played a season-high 38 minutes.
He had struggled missing his first six shots, but quickly recovered.
“We didn’t want him to end up 0-for-6,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “He puts the work in every day. I see it in practice. He’s a great shooter (so) if you are open, let it fly.”
George, averaging 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds, will be making his fourth consecutive start. He moved into the starting lineup when Kyle Kuzma suffered a right groin strain in the fourth quarter of the team’s Oct. 28 game against Atlanta.
