NBA: New injury halts Ja Morant's momentum, Grizzlies prep for Pelicans

As soon as Ja Morant returned to the court, another injury setback followed.

The Memphis Grizzlies announced that Morant will miss Friday’s home game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow.

The two-time All-Star guard acknowledged that he still had work to do after returning from his latest injury absence. Morant previously missed six straight games earlier this month because of a right calf contusion.

He made his return by leading Memphis to a victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday in London, then played his first home game Wednesday in a narrow 124-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Morant finished with a team-high 23 points and 12 assists against Atlanta but said he needs to improve if the Grizzlies hope to turn their season around and push for a playoff spot. He pointed to his five turnovers and a late-game sequence in which he briefly lost control of the ball before attempting a potential game-winning shot.

Morant’s rushed 3-pointer at the buzzer had a chance to fall but bounced off the rim.

“I don’t think that last play is the reason we lost the game,” Morant said. “It is what it is. I had a lot of turnovers that put us in that position. It’s a lot of other things we could’ve changed.

“If you want to talk about that possession, I could’ve let Jaylen (Wells) bring it up, we could’ve called a timeout, I could’ve passed the ball, I could’ve found a better shot. But we’re on the other side of it now, so it’s over.”

Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said there are several factors behind the team’s inconsistent season, including youth, injuries, and the league’s overall parity.

“We have a relatively young team,” Iisalo said. “We’ve missed a lot of our primary creators or screeners in those situations. We’ve been at our best in transition, but late in games that’s not always available. The game slows down and you have to execute in the half court, both offensively and defensively.”

Memphis has lost eight of its last 11 games, most of them without Morant in the lineup.

New Orleans is also struggling, having dropped 14 of its past 16 games. The Pelicans are coming off a 112-104 loss to the Detroit Pistons, a contest in which they fell behind by double digits early. They have trailed by at least 10 points in the first quarter in three of their last four games.

“It’s tough to play from behind every night,” interim head coach James Borrego said. “At some point, that starting group has to make a stand or I’ve got to pivot.”

In their loss to Detroit, the Pelicans were affected by injuries and illness. Zion Williamson, who was questionable due to illness, started the game but struggled, left for the locker room in the third quarter, and did not return.

“He battled through illness,” Borrego said. “He gave us his best shot.”

Williamson is not listed on the injury report for Friday’s game.

New Orleans continues to be without Herb Jones (right ankle sprain) and reserve guard Jose Alvarado (left oblique strain). Jones has missed 15 of the last 16 games and is listed as questionable, while Alvarado remains out.

— Field Level Media / Reuters