With 3:15 reamining in the second quarter after a steal , Scottie Pippen Jr dropped it off to Ja Morant who was filling the lane. Morant elevate to throw down a highlight reel dunk but Lu Dort made contact with Morant, sending him careening to the floor in a heap.
Morant lay on the FedEx Forum hardwood for several minutes before being helped up. He would recover enough to shoot his two free throws, which would have made him eligible to return to the game, before heading to the locker room.
Asked about it after the game, the Thunder guard said this of the potential series-altering play:
“I was slipping. I tried to make a play on the ball, but we just ran into each other, and he fell. But I hope he’s OK. I didn’t mean to hit him like that.”
Morant finished with 15 points and 6 assists in his 16 minutes of work.
To make matters worse, the Grizzlies were unable to hold on to a 29-point lead and ultimately fell 114-108. They are now staring down the barrel of a 3-0 deficit in the best of 7 series.
