Ja Morant Says He Couldn't See out of Left Eye in 4th Quarter of Game 2 vs. Warriors
May 4, 2022
Memphis Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant had compromised vision during the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies' 106-101 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
While speaking to the media after the game, Morant said he could not see out of his left eye during the fourth quarter:
Despite that, Morant scored the Grizzlies' final 15 points and led all scorers with 47 points overall.
It is unclear precisely what happened to Morant's eye, but ESPN's Kendra Andrews reported that he could be heard saying, "I can't see," while heading to the bench at the end of the third quarter.
Andrews added that Morant apparently got hit in the eye at one point.
All told, Morant had 18 of his 47 points in the fourth quarter on 6-of-11 shooting in a game Memphis had to have.
The second-seeded Grizzlies fell 117-116 to the No. 3 Warriors in Game 1 of the series, and a loss in Game 2 would have put them well behind the eight-ball against a team with plenty of championship experience.
Making Morant's performance even more impressive was the fact that he did so without the support of the team's second-leading scorer, Dillon Brooks.
Brooks was ejected from the game just three minutes into the opening quarter after being assessed a flagrant-2 foul that resulted in Warriors guard Gary Payton II falling to the court and fracturing his elbow.
Aside from Morant, no other Grizzlies player had more than 14 points, which highlighted Morant's ability to put the team on his back in a huge moment.
If the Grizzlies are going to eliminate the Warriors and move on to the Western Conference Finals, they will need more similar showings from Morant, who is playing his best basketball of the season.
The 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year is averaging 26.3 points, 10.1 assists, 8.6 rebounds. 1.9 steals and 1.6 three-pointers made in eight playoff games.
Golden State has some players capable of getting hot and scoring at will, including Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins, but if Morant continues on his current trajectory, the Grizz will be a tough out.