Just when it seemed as though the Memphis Grizzlies were going to make a series out of their clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder, momentum ground to a halt. With a blowout win seemingly taking shape, Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant suffered a potentially devastating hip injury.
Not far removed from a regular season during which he missed 32 games due to injury, Morant was ruled out for the remainder of Game 3.
Ja Morant is out for the rest of Game 3 with a hip injury, Grizzlies say. pic.twitter.com/QYXSBairw9
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) April 25, 2025
It's a heartbreaking development for Morant, who had been well on his way to a memorable Game 3. He'd recorded 15 points and five assists in just 16 minutes at the time of his injury, with Memphis leading by 27 points.
Before anyone could process what they'd seen, Dr, Brian Sutterer released a detailed video breaking down exactly what Morant is dealing with. You can watch the video below:
In the video, Sutterer explains that the injury Morant suffered appears to have impacted the ilium, specifically the anterior superior iliac spine.
Dr. Brian Sutterer believes Ja Morant injured ilium
Sutterer explains that this is relatively similar to a hip pointer, which is a more common sports injury. He elaborated, stating that if Morant suffered what effectively equates to a hip pointer, then he doesn't expect him to be ruled out of future games.
The bigger concern, as Sutterer explains it, is that it could be a hip fracture—an injury that would result in a much longer timetable for recovery.
Thunder star Chet Holmgren suffered a hip fracture on a hard fall on Nov. 10, 2024. It took nearly three full months for Holmgren to return to the court, and Oklahoma City took a cautious approach to distributing his minutes the rest of the season.
If that proves to be the injury that Morant endured, then it would, unfortunately, be safe to rule him out for the remainder of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
It would be a heartbreaking development for Memphis, which appeared to be proving it's prepared to go toe-to-toe with the 68-win Thunder. It's not necessarily a surprising development, as the Grizzlies were 42-24 before a late-season tailspin self-sabotaged their high-seed dreams.
One can only hope that the tailspin ends here, with Morant missing Game 3, but ultimately returning in time for a pivotal Game 4. Perhaps it's an optimistic take, but there's precedent for both the best and worst-case scenarios coming to fruition.
In the meantime, Scotty Pippen Jr. will be trusted to play the most important minutes of his NBA career.