Memphis Grizzlies’ 135-119 win over the Brooklyn Nets came with a lot of heat. Late in the game, as Ja Morant subbed out, tensions flared at the scorer’s table, drawing attention to his interaction with Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez. While Morant denied being disrespectful, incoming reactions suggest otherwise.

According to an X post by Billy Reinhardt, sports writer Frank Isola described Morant’s behavior as “beyond insufferable and really out of line.” And Fernandez? He’s having none of it. “I don’t want other players to speak to me. If they want to be nice, obviously that’s part of the game. If not, I don’t want any interaction. I think it’s disrespectful,” Fernandez said during a press conference.

The Nets coach further stressed the importance of setting the right example, especially for young fans. “What we are projecting to everybody else, especially the little ones, is play with respect… Whether you’re a superstar or whoever you are.” 

But Morant sees it another way. In his words, he was just trolling. “I was trolling, just to get them riled up, and I did… I didn’t say nothing crazy. If ‘yeah’ is disrespectful or makes you feel some type of way, then hey, so be it,” he shrugged.

As far as the footage from the game is concerned, they show Ja Morant saying something to Fernandez before heading to the bench. This led to more drama as Nets guard Dennis Schroder confronted the Grizzlies’ head coach Taylor Jenkins. The result? Technical fouls for Schroder, Morant, and Jenkins.

Despite his claim of innocence, this isn’t the first time Morant has found himself in hot water. Earlier this season, he boldly claimed he’d take the crown from LeBron James as the league’s best player.

More reactions from the Brooklyn Nets regarding the Ja Morant feud

NY Post reporter Brian Lewis shared an interesting take on X, quoting the Memphis Grizzlies’ head coach Jordi Fernandez. When asked about Dennis Schroder’s decision to confront Taylor Jenkins, Fernandez didn’t hold back.

“Dennis said words to the coach, and I told him I never want any of my players to go talk to a coach. That’s not how I want my team to behave… I want to compete on the court, fight on the court,” Fernandez said. Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith, meanwhile, had a more blunt response.

Smith kept it real, saying, “If we didn’t want them barking, we’ve got to go out there and fight. And we can’t fight with our words; we got to go out there and hit them. And they was the first ones hitting.” Now, with things heated up, the next match-up between the two sides is worth waiting for.