The 2023 NBA playoffs have already started living up to its expectations after multiple games in round 1. The Memphis Grizzlies recently fell behind 0-1 in the series after facing a huge disappointment against the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers. Despite their lingering problems outside the court, many felt that they’d be able to overpower the inconsistent LA side, but the Lakers took them for a ride. However, Memphis’ biggest asset, Ja Morant, suffered a major setback during the game in the most crucial stage of the year.

Ja Morant’s numerous off-court controversies have been a big burden on the 24-year-old in recent times, even after returning back to the court. However, his scary fall during a disappointing loss against the Lakers has turned his difficult season into a menace that he might find hard to recover from anytime soon. 

Ja Morant feels ‘numb’ with everything going very wrong in his life

The Memphis Grizzlies star has had a turbulent month, to say the least. Morant has found himself under the microscope on many occasions, which includes his troubles with the law and the National Basketball Association. His ‘gun’ incident on March 4th led to an eight-game suspension by the league. Prior to this, he was already under investigation due to a police report against him by Joshua Holloway, who accused him of assault.

After leaving all of this behind, Morant hoped for a positive game against the Los Angeles Lakers, in the first playoff game of the season. However, he had to face more than just a loss against LeBron James and Co. at home. The 24-year-old star crashed to the hardwood after an attempted dunk in the paint. Morant hurt his wrist in the process in what seemed like a scary injury, following which he had to be benched.

Although the latest X-ray reports don’t show any serious damage, Morant has been feeling dejected since the injury, as he feels that he certainly can’t play in the second game against the Lakers. In the post-game interview, the visibly demoralized Morant tried to explain his situation in the context of his troublesome season.

“Tough man, especially all that I’ve been through this season,” said Morant. He added, “Honestly man, I don’t know, at this point I’m not even surprised at how my life’s been going… I’m just pretty much numb to everything now, it’s one thing after another.”

Furthermore, when reporters enquired if his chances for Wednesday night’s game 2 against the Lakers were in doubt, the 24-year-old answered with a simple “yeah”. Game 1 between the Grizzlies and Lakers was very eventful if not for Morant’s injury and Anthony Davis’s mid-game scare.

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Eventful Game 1 at FedExForum almost tainted by Anthony Davis scare and Ja Morant injury

Despite the Lakers not being the favorites against the Grizzlies, they won a hard-fought game in Tennessee. However, Austin Reaves’ brilliant playoff debut was almost overshadowed by Davis’ shoulder stinger that made his right arm immobile for a while. Nevertheless, it was a temporary halt, and the Lakers star returned to drop 22 points in a crucial game against the Grizzlies. While Morant wasn’t fortunate enough to heal so quickly, fans might look at the silver lining of not losing two important stars in the first game of the playoffs.

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