Thursday’s matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies was a tense one. The game took a late unexpected turn. The stakes were high for both sides. Memphis, aiming to stay in the Western Conference’s top four, needed the win to linger within the playoff seeds. Meanwhile, Sac-Town was hoping to break its early-season slump and pick up its second consecutive victory.

With just under 7 minutes left, Ja Morant found himself in a heated moment while defending DeMar DeRozan. As DeRozan rose for a jumper, Morant contested with both arms raised, but a foul call set off a chain of events that would change the course of the game.

The Grizzlies star’s frustration boiled over, leading to his second technical foul of the night. Earlier, just over a minute ago, the hoopster was upset by a no-call, while battling for the ball with Kings’ center Domantas Sabonis, feeling he had been fouled. That prompted his first tech. Taylor Jenkins was furious; he was ready to throw hands. He had to be calmed down by a member of the staff!

As a result, Memphis had to finish the game without its star guard. Ja Morant, who had been struggling with his shot, posted just eight points on 2-of-13 shooting, along with seven assists, three rebounds, and a block across 28 minutes. While this was his first ejection this season, the hoopster does have the experience of being ejected before.

This isn’t the first time Ja Morant has been ejected for ‘protesting’ calls

During the 2020-21 season, the Grizzlies were playing the NY Knicks. The Memphis side lost the game, dropping their record to .500 at 32-32 and dimming their playoff hopes. With just over a minute remaining in a seven-point game, Morant drove to the basket but didn’t get a foul call. Frustrated, he raised his hands to signal his displeasure with the no-call, earning a technical foul.

Moments later, after continuing to express his frustration, he was handed another technical for arguing with the officials, which led to his ejection from the game. Morant later took to X, claiming that the official had ‘threatened’ him, though the official denied it.

Well, the next time was in December 2022. Morant faced a different ejection scenario during the Grizzlies’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With 43 seconds left in the first half, Morant received a technical foul after fouling a player and then complaining about a missed call. He earned a second technical when he began conversing with a courtside fan, which led to his ejection!

In a post-game interview, Morant explained, “I got my first tech for saying I got hit in my f–king face. Didn’t curse at him.” He also noted that his second technical occurred while he was casually speaking with the fan, which he found to be unreasonable.

The Grizzlies star insisted that neither of his technical fouls resulted from anything he directly said to the referees. Instead, he explained that the calls came from his reaction to certain situations, not any verbal exchange with the officials.

Ja Morant’s fiery demeanor, combined with some questionable officiating, has led to quite a few heated moments. What were your thoughts on tonight’s case? Drop your comments below.