“Goes for 50”: Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson Discuss What Steph Curry Would’ve Done Had Ja Morant Not Gotten Injured

The Warriors put forth a performance reflective of how dangerous the team can be. They defeated the Grizzlies in their thrilling Play-In matchup by a score of 121-116. Stephen Curry had an outstanding performance en route to the win. Unfortunately, Grizzlies star Ja Morant suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter. He did return to action but didn’t seem the same. NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe believes Morant at full health wouldn’t have put a stop to Curry’s dominance.

This year marked the second time the Grizzlies and Warriors matched up in the Play-In Tournament. Their first duel came in 2021 and resulted in the Grizzlies eliminating the Warriors from playoff contention. These teams look a bit different this time around.

The obvious difference is Golden State’s acquisition of Jimmy Butler. He lived up to his “Playoff Jimmy” nickname as he finished with 38 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. However, the most electrifying player on the court was Curry.

The four-time NBA champion tallied 37 points, including a barrage of clutch baskets in the fourth quarter and the team’s final 10 points. Memphis didn’t have an answer to slow down the NBA’s all-time three-point leader.

Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson took to their Nightcap podcast to share their thoughts on the entertaining battle. Morant’s health may have altered the dynamics of the game but not to a large degree, according to Sharpe.

“I just know if Ja had stayed in there, it would have been interesting to see,” Sharpe said. “Who knows? Maybe Steph goes crazy and instead of 37, 38, he goes for 50.”

Morant managed to play 35 minutes despite leaving the game for some time to evaluate his ankle. In that time, he put forth 22 points and 3 assists, but he could be seen wincing and limping after a few possessions.

Although a healthy Morant may have propelled the Grizzlies, there is a possibility Curry would’ve elevated his play in response. On the contrary, Johnson believes there would have been a different outcome with a healthy Morant.

“I think the game might have been different, even though it was close, if we got a Ja that wasn’t injured and didn’t mess up his ankle towards the end of the game,” Johnson said.

During this segment, they had award-winning rapper Ice Cube as a special guest. The founder of the Big 3 league believes that the Warriors can make a potential deep postseason run.

“The Warriors got that pedigree,” Cube said. “They know what it takes. The Warriors are battle-tested. They got that will to win.”

Golden State’s Play-In victory secured them the seventh seed. As a result, they will face the Houston Rockets in the first round. It will be an entertaining matchup against the talented yet inexperienced young Rockets group. Game 1 will be on April 20 at 9:30 PM ET.