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The two Alphas of the Blazers — Damian Lillard and Ja Morant — essentially handed the reins of the team to Deni Avdija. “Coming in, I told him: ‘I want you to be the horse,’” Lillard said. “Ja said the same thing: ‘You be the horse.’ I think him knowing for sure that we are encouraging that … you be the horse … you be on go … you get downhill … you attack. I think that is good for our team.”
Sean Highkin: Scoot Henderson is starting in Ja Morant’s place, Micah Nori tells us.
Portland Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant sustained a left hamstring injury during last night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Imaging revealed a grade two left hamstring strain. Morant will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant exited his first game against his former team in the fourth quarter Thursday night because of a left hamstring injury. Morant had 14 points and three assists in 23 minutes before exiting and being ruled out of the Trail Blazers' 124-103 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Coach Micah Nori said postgame that Morant felt a twinge in his hamstring and that Nori hoped to have more answers Friday. "I'm hoping that it's nothing major, obviously," Nori said.
Damichael Cole: More Micah Nori: “I know Ja loved his time in Memphis and there’s no ill will there, but you still want to play well against your former team.” “I do think these guys understand the moment for Ja.”
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“I’m not a big grudge guy or anything like that,” Morant said Wednesday at the Blazers’ practice facility in Tualatin. “It’s no different for me, just another basketball game on the schedule for us and we’re looking to stay undefeated.” Morant spent his first seven seasons in Memphis, navigating a rocky journey that saw him grow into an NBA Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star and franchise cornerstone before a series of off-the-court incidents and injuries stained his tenure.
“Obviously we was at a great point … and obviously I got in trouble,” Morant said, referring to his suspensions. “Then the dominoes pretty much went from there. Guys started getting traded, new guys coming in and then it came to me. I take responsibility for stuff I’ve caused. But it wasn’t all me, though. “Obviously I know what I’ve done. I know the stuff I caused, the wrong light I brought on to the organization when I had my troubles. But you can’t take away the good I did either.”
Ja Morant on playing alongside Damian Lillard in clutch moments: “It’s good because pretty much every time he shoots, I think it’s good. So I’m pretty much bracing for a celebration every time he shoot. But in the fourth quarter, I’m for sure doing it. So being on that side, we actually talked that shootaround earlier because Coach Q actually won a championship here when we was in the bubble and the guy who I lost to in the bubble was Damian Lillard. So it’s real good to be on that side now for sure.”
Ja Morant: “Obviously, very unselfish guys, number one. I don’t feel like none of us has an ego. And as far as us and our play on the floor, I don’t feel like nothing is forced. It’s like you got to go do this or you got to pass to this guy. We just playing good basketball, so I think all that makes it way easier.”
Players on both teams were trying to figure out the league’s emphasis on flopping that led to three unsportsmanlike technical fouls late in the fourth quarter of Portland’s 136-129 victory. The Blazers’ Ja Morant and Toumani Camara both said they planned to appeal the technicals. Camara was called for a flopping technical with 5:06 left in the game while trying to guard Dončić in the backcourt, though Dončić missed the technical free throw with Los Angeles trailing 118-116. “I don’t know, it was confusing because (Dončić) came to me with a heavy bump, and I feel like I reacted naturally,” Camara told The Athletic after the game. “I just showed my hands as much as I could, and I actually lost balance for real. So those are hard. “They try to emphasize something that is hard to judge, you know? Especially if you didn’t see the full action, the windup and everything. Making a decision like that, that costs people money and can cost people the game. I think it’s a tough one. But they all make mistakes. I ain’t going to be mad at it. But I’m definitely going to appeal for it, for sure.”
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What excites you most about playing with this group?” Ja Morant: “It’s just so much fun. So much guys that can do a lot. Easier looks, easier coverages for me. It’s a blessing to be able to play around one of the best shooters of all time and then the talent like Deni as well, and the rest of the guys. We just got to continue to gel together, keep the chemistry going, and keep going and doing what we’re doing.”
Damian Lillard on Ja Morant: "It's been fun for me to to get to know him, you know, being his teammate. And you see how misunderstood he is. You see how sharp he is, you know, as a basketball player. Like he understands the game. We find ourselves on the court a lot just like laughing because I'll be telling him something, but he he saw what I saw, you know. And it's like it's always things that it takes somebody that's been in these situations where like two people was guarding you. Oh, you like we just see the moments and we see the things that only those players see."
Oh No He Didn't: Damian Lillard on playing with Ja Morant: "It's been fun to get to know him. You direct traffic as a point guard. And I think the thing about him is he's seeing the game that way to where like me being off the ball more so far this year...it's like taking that responsibility of me having to always be hyper aware"
