Lakers Injury Report: Ja Morant Taking Steps Towards Potential Return
Your Los Angeles Lakers looked, frankly, a bit lost in Memphis during the second game of their ongoing best-of-seven series against the Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
The Grizzlies' 103-93 Game 2 victory to even up the series at 1-1 came as a bit of a surprise to yours truly, given that Memphis was missing two starters and one key role player (plus one little-used rookie). The most critical absence for Memphis, All-Star point guard Ja Morant, is normally the fulcrum of the team's offense.
Morant being sidelined due to a re-aggravated right hand bone bruise represented a golden opportunity for the Lakers to steal two straight road games and perhaps build up an insurmountable advantage in the series. Instead, most of Los Angeles struggled to shoot the rock in the first half, and then had trouble closing strong in the second.
Now, it appears that Morant is taking steps towards a potential Game 3 return tomorrow in LA.
Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Morant joined his team for portions of practice today and, while still being officially just questionable to play on Saturday, is clearly at least somewhat on the mend.
Shelburne adds that Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins revealed that Morant had an individual workout and was able to shoot and dribble with the ailing hand. Jenkins also noted that Morant participated in a non-contact team practice.
While Jenkins asserts that the hand is markedly improved from where it was on Wednesday, Morant is said to remain a game-time decision for Game 3.
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