"Of course, it's their game 7" - Lakers fans react as Ja Morant looks to return from 2-week injury absence against LeBron and Co.
LA Lakers fans got another opportunity to prove the narrative that players ramp up and return to play against them after long-term injuries because of Ja Morant's status upgrade. Ahead of Saturday's clash between LA and the Memphis Grizzlies, the superstar point guard, who has been out since Mar. 14, was listed as questionable.
Morant has been dealing with a left hamstring strain, forcing him to miss the past six games. With a crucial stretch coming up for Memphis, who fired coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday morning, Morant's return bolsters its chances of dangling a winning run together.
However, returning against the Lakers has put him in the spotlight, especially among the team's faithful, who knew he would push to play against LeBron James and Co.
After the Grizzlies released their official injury report for Ja Morant, here's what one Lakers fan said:
"Of course. It's their game 7."
Another tweeted:
One fan added:
"All you can do is laugh at this point"
"Everybody outside of LA hates the Lakers lol," another added.
One fan called out other fanbases for calling Lakers faithful 'delusional':
"but we’re delusional"
One fan said:
"We all knew this was gonna happen.. I mean at this point.. you just know they'll play against us."
The Grizzlies and Lakers are tied with the same record (44-29). LA is ahead because of the tie-breaker advantage. The result of Saturday's game could significantly impact the seedings as both teams also look to avoid the play-in tournament.
Ja Morant doesn't like the Lakers
Ja Morant and the Grizzlies have no love lost for the Lakers. The 2023 playoffs first-round series matchup between the young Grizzlies and the veteran Lakers sparked a new rivalry in the league. Since then, Morant, in particular, has taken this matchup personally, especially after the Lakers won that contest 4-2.
After a November matchup between the teams, which the Lakers lost 131-114, Morant announced he didn't like the Lakers, citing that first-round series.
"I don't like 'em. They knocked me out of the playoffs."
Morant also had the 2023 play-in tournament loss on his mind. He wasn't impressed with the Lakers' gimmicks after beating a shorthanded Memphis team without him. Morant was suspended at the time.
The Grizzlies have all to play for on Saturday as they trail the Lakers 2-1 in their season series. With homecourt advantage and Ja Morant returning, they will hope to tie things up and move up in the standings to gain homecourt advantage in a potential first-round playoff matchup against LeBron James and Co.