Is Ja Morant playing tonight against Miami Heat? Latest on Grizzlies star guard's status (Apr. 3)
Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies will take on the Miami Heat on Thursday with their playoff chances hanging by the most fragile of threads. Morant is not on the injury report and will enter this matchup having grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons, not just for the team's late collapse against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, but also for the gun gesture he made which reportedly led to a league investigation.
Morant has been a staple on the Grizzlies' injury report this season, missing over 30 games due to various injuries. He returned to the lineup against the LA Lakers on Saturday after missing six matchups due to a hamstring strain.
The star guard scored 22 points against the Lakers, followed by 26 over the Celtics and 36 on Golden State — all ending in defeat. However, Morant leads the team in scoring this season with 22.7 points per game.
Ja Morant stats vs Miami Heat
Ja Morant has only played five games against the Heat, holding a 3-2 record. He averages 15.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 6.2 apg.
This will be his first meeting against Miami after 3 years. He missed the last six matchups due to injuries and suspension, including the March 15 game which the Grizzlies won 125-91.
The last time he faced the Heat was on Oct. 30, 2021, when he scored 20 points in a 129-103 loss. That remains his highest-scoring outing against them. He also scored 20 in 2019 during a 118-111 win.
What to expect from Memphis Grizzlies vs Miami Heat
It has all been downhill since the All-Star break for the Memphis Grizzlies. They were a top-two seed a month ago but they’ve failed to maintain it. The team has lost 14 of its last 22 games and is on a four-game losing streak.
They are outside the top-six picture, sitting in eighth place with a 44-32 record, the same as the sixth and seventh seeds and half a game behind the fifth-seeded Warriors (44-31).
With only six games remaining in their schedule, they can't afford any more stumbles. If they don’t start winning soon, they’ll be forced to settle for a play-in spot.
While the Grizzlies are collapsing, Miami is heating up at the right time. At one point, their season seemed over after dropping 10 consecutive games; however, they steadied the ship and are on a six-game winning streak.
This run of results has vaulted them into a play-in spot. They are ninth with a 34-42 record, one game behind the seventh-seed Atlanta Hawks and two games behind the sixth-place Orlando Magic.