The Trail Blazers guard suffered a grade two left hamstring strain against his former team and finished with 14 points and three assists before exiting.
Ja Morant's first game against his old team did not end well. The Trail Blazers guard suffered a grade two left hamstring strain during Portland's Oct. 29 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, and the team announced on Oct. 30 that he is expected to be reevaluated in four weeks.
Morant left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return, finishing with 14 points and three assists. It was his first time facing the Grizzlies since Memphis traded him to Portland in June in exchange for forwards Kris Murray and Jerami Grant, closing out a seven season run with the franchise that drafted him.
The night had plenty of buildup. A day before the game, Morant said he held no grudges against his former team. Once tipoff arrived, he opened with hot shooting in the first quarter and some trash talk aimed at the Grizzlies bench, before the hamstring injury cut his return short in the fourth.
With Morant sidelined for at least a month, the Trail Blazers will need to navigate the stretch without their new backcourt centerpiece.