NBA Starting Lineups: Who’ll Play Tonight in the Grizzlies vs Clippers Game?

The upcoming match in the regular season is between the Volunteer State and the City of Angels. Both the teams have been riding on winning streaks with the Memphis Grizzlies being on a 3-game and the Los Angeles Clippers on a 2-game streak. However, the Grizzlies are facing a major issue with their roster as the cornerstone of their team, Ja Morant is out of action for the entire season due to an injury. On the other hand, the Clippers have a perfectly healthy squad with all their stars ready to increase their franchise’s win streak.

So, the Grizzlies are entering the match with that disadvantage, however, the match is being played at the FedXForum, so they have a court advantage. But these advantages are only valid until the game begins because the result depends on how the players play. Keeping that in mind, who all are going to be participating in this intense clash?

Clippers’ healthy squad vs. Grizzlies’ injury-plagued roster

The Los Angeles Clippers have a star-studded squad that includes Point Guard James Harden, Shooting Guard Terance Mann, Power Forward Kawhi Leonard, Small Forward Paul George, and Ivica Zubac as the Center. With this team, they have won seven out of their last ten games and are currently fourth in the Western Conference rankings boasting a 24-win and 13-loss record.

On the other hand, the Memphis Grizzlies have three of their star players listed on the injury report. Derrick Rose, the point guard of the Grizzlies is out due to a hamstring injury, Marcus Smart is out due to a finger injury and the 2x All-Star Ja Morant is out for the season due to a shoulder injury.

So keeping that in mind, the roster of the Grizzlies will include Luke Kennard as their Point Guard, Ziaire Williams as their Shooting Guard, Jaren Jackson Jr. as their Power Forward, Desmond Bane as their Shooting Forward, and Xavier Tillman as their Center.

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In the previous encounter between the two teams, the Clippers emerged victorious with a score of 117-106. And now as the Volunteer State do not have their star player Ja Morant, the game looks to be tipped in the favour of LA as without him in their lineup they managed to win only 8 games out of 28.

The Grizzlies seeking a disabled player exception due to Morant’s injury

Ja Morant, the standout point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, sustained a season-ending injury during a training session over the weekend. An MRI revealed the damage, which was due to a deep labral tear. Morant last appeared in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, before the seriousness of his injury became clear. According to medical specialists, full healing from labrum tears often takes six to nine months. So, that is the estimated time the 2x All-Star will be out of action.

The Grizzlies announced Morant’s absence for the rest of the season but voiced confidence about his full recovery by the start of the 2024-25 season on October 22, 2024. So, until then the franchise has asked for a $12.4 million Disabled Player Exception from the NBA to help the team in filling the void left by their star player. What do you think, will the league grant the Grizzlies $12.4 million? Let us know in the comments below.

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