The Memphis Grizzlies did indeed have a “Black Friday” the day after Thanksgiving.
Memphis lost 132-100 to the Atlanta Hawks in a lopsided affair. With 3:12 left in the first period, the team’s most significant setback was losing Ja Morant to injury, which the team is now classifying as a knee sprain. Morant eventually made his way back to the bench in a black hoodie to show his support for his team.
After the game Taylor Jenkins was asked about the locker room mood regarding the loss and Morant’s injury. He stated, “I think the guys are trying to stay positive. Obviously, a really tough loss. Sticking together through all of this. Trying to find ways to continue to get better. Obviously not our night and hopeful for the best.”
Jenkins added, “I think seeing the way he [Morant] went off the floor sent shockwaves through the team. Obviously, the Hawks played really, really well tonight. We had a lot of looks that didn’t fall tonight so definitely the mojo was kind of lost.”
In the end, the Hawks made the Grizzlies pay for losing their mojo.
Back-up guard Tyus Jones also discussed the team’s mood after Morant went down. “Any time you see that, it kind of takes the wind out of your sail,” Jones said.
“We tried to rally together, but everyone knows how kind of a big deal that was. We fought the first half. Felt like we left some points on the board. The second half they just came out and hit us first. That was the difference in the game.”
Afterward, Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled to articulate his thoughts on Morant’s injury.
“It’s tough when you see stuff like that,” Jackson said. “He brings a lot to the game, he brings a lot to our team, to people who are riding for him. And for us, that’s our brother, I don’t want to see anybody hurting. I don’t want to see him hurting like this. I don’t want to see that.”
Both Jones and Jackson realize that the team must come together to deal with the loss of Morant.
“Ja’s going to be there every step of the way for however long he’s out,” Jackson went on to say. “His voice is going to be definitely around. He’s going to be supporting guys. He’s going to be telling everybody what they need to hear. We know that from the jump. That’s just his mentality. I just know that’s how he’s going to be.”
He continued, “In whatever he needs to do, he’s going to give it his all and work like how we know he is. We know that every single person in the locker room is a warrior too.”
“Everybody’s going to ride for each other. You’re supposed to lean on your brother so you can lean on each other. That’s what it’s going to be. It’s going to take a lot. There’s a gap there. You know what he brings. Everyone has to find a way to bring it. We all have to step up. It does have to be that mentality. That’s the mentality he would want. He would want us to just go out there and fight no matter what. That’s what we’re going to do. We’ve got a game in two days, so it’s time to lock in. Every day is a process. You’re not going to win the game during the game. Tomorrow we’re going to regroup and figure out what we need to do and be ultimately ready. It’s that time.”
For Morant’s return, there was no set timetable. It’s time for the Grizzlies to get their act together because they’ll be facing a hungry Sacramento Kings team on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT at the FedExForum. On Friday night, the Kings beat the Lakers in a dramatic triple overtime thriller.
