The Grizzlies’ playoff run just hit a massive speed bump. Ja Morant, Memphis’ engine, left Game 3 against Oklahoma City with a left hip injury. That’s not what you want to hear when your team’s holding a 29-point lead and looking to build momentum. But basketball, like life, doesn’t always play out like you’d want it to.

Morant went down hard late in the first half after a collision with Luguentz Dort. He hobbled to the locker room after briefly returning to shoot some free throws. By the time the third quarter rolled around, he was ruled out for the night. The Grizzlies? Well, they watched their once-comfortable lead evaporate faster than an NBA highlight reel. The Thunder came storming back, seizing a 3-0 series lead with a 114-108 win.

Ja Morant injury update

Here’s how it went down: Memphis was flying on a fast break. Scotty Pippen Jr. fed Ja at the rim, and Lu Dort — stumbling like he was in a horror movie — crashed straight into Ja mid-air. No malice, just bad physics. Ja slammed to the floor, tried to tough it out, missed both free throws, then limped off to the locker room. Ouch. Now, he will be missing Game 4 too, after having missed over 30 games this season due to various injuries.

Before the injury? Ja Morant was cooking — 15 points and 5 assists in the first half, running OKC off the court. After he went down? Memphis’ offense froze up like someone hit the pause button. Coach Tuomas Iisalo didn’t hold back after the game, saying Ja’s absence affected the team “quite drastically.” Yeah, Coach, we noticed when the lead vanished quicker than a bad haircut.

Grizzlies Depth Chart vs Thunder

Alright, so with Ja out, Memphis needs to patch things up. The offense is about to look a little different. Here’s the depth chart breakdown of what the Grizzlies might throw out there without their star guard.

But here’s the kicker: Luke Kennard, who’s set to step up in the backcourt with Ja sidelined, is also questionable for Game 4 due to right Achilles soreness. If Kennard can’t go, Memphis will need to adjust even more. That’s a lot of bad luck stacking up.

Now, what does this tell us? Without Ja, expect Pippen Jr. to step in as the primary ball handler, however, he isn’t as experienced, and it will show. Kennard’s injury only complicates things further, so don’t be shocked if Memphis leans on Bane even more. Desmond Bane’s gonna need to level up and drop more than the 16 points he’s been averaging, especially with Morant’s electric presence missing from the floor. The bench? Santi Aldama and Vince Williams Jr. are gonna have to give Memphis something off the pine to stay afloat.

All things considered, the Grizzlies’ road to recovery looks anything but smooth—if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they’ll need to find a way to dig deep and overcome the odds stacked against them.