What injured ankle? Morant flies around court helping Grizzlies clinch West’s 8 seed

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Two-time All-Star Ja Morant promised a sprained right ankle wouldn’t keep him out of Memphis’ play-in game against Dallas with the Western Conference’s last postseason berth up for grabs Friday night.

Morant did more than just play. He delivered a thrilling start that included a high-flying, one-handed slam of a dunk that had teammate Desmond Bane yelling “Showtime!” at him in celebration as Morant elevated so much his eyes were level with the rim.

The guard scored 12 of his 22 points in the first half, and Memphis never trailed in a 120-106 victory to take the No. 8 seed and a spot Sunday in Game 1 at top-seeded Oklahoma City.

“I couldn’t feel it … so I was out there,” Morant said with a laugh.

Morant had been listed as questionable earlier Friday as the training staff worked to get him ready to play. His status was officially announced about 30 minutes before the tip.

The guard was injured in the third quarter Tuesday night at Golden State with the No. 7 seed on the line. Morant rolled the ankle coming down on Buddy Hield’s foot. Morant limped off the court and returned in the fourth quarter when he was held to four points as the Grizzlies lost 121-116.

Morant took the court late in warm-ups to test his ankle. His young daughter joined him on the court. ESPN reported during the game that Morant had a second shot for his ankle a couple hours before tipoff.

The guard occasionally limped to the free throw line, but that was about the only sign Morant was playing hurt. He finished with nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals before interim coach Tuomas Iisalo pulled his starters in the final couple minutes to some rest. Morant wound up playing 33 minutes helping the Grizzlies finish off a wire-to-wire win.

Injuries limited Morant to 50 games during this regular season. He has played 19 playoff games in Memphis’ three postseason berths with the No. 2 pick overall in the 2019 draft.