The Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies matchup witnessed some drama early on in the contest. Near the 5-minute mark of the first period, Anthony Davis was visibly frustrated with Santi Aldama’s antics and shoved the Grizzlies big man.
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After a technical foul was dished to Davis, Desmond Bane had some words directed at the Lakers big man. The verbal altercation led to several players being gathered around Davis and Bane.
Now we got drama in the Lakers and Grizzlies game 🍿 pic.twitter.com/opmCUAeQe4
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 15, 2023
While the members of the Memphis Grizzlies, quite literally, battle it out against the Lakers, Ja Morant kept sending cryptic messages on social media. The team’s point guard, who is currently serving a 25-game suspension, posted two separate emojis on X (formerly “Twitter”).
😊
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) November 15, 2023
🐻
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) November 15, 2023
From what we can comprehend, the smiley face emoji seems like a message to his teammates – Ja’s happy that his teammates are standing up for each other. Whereas, the bear emoji seems rather straightforward – showcasing his love for his team.
Ja Morant will be out for another 14 games
During this past season, Ja Morant was seen brandishing a firearm during an Instagram Live Video. This incident occurred mere weeks after he was already reprimanded for waving his gun at a club in Denver. This time, Adam Silver decided to slap the young guard with a much more severe punishment – suspension for the first 25 games of the 2023-2024 season.
An exotic dancer at Shotgun Willie’s in Denver wants an apology from Ja Morant
“He’s clearly begging for attention and trying to be a baller. He should be banned from all clubs and get his NBA career taken away given our country’s current circumstances on gun violence.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/WqAFsXArmX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 20, 2023
Apart from missing out on Morant’s services, the team has also been playing without the likes of Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, and Derrick Rose. During the ongoing Lakers-Grizzlies contest, even Marcus Smart suffered an injury on his ankle.
The Grizzlies likely didn’t expect themselves to be in such a pit. A pretty similar situation to the 2019-2020 Golden State Warriors, the Memphis Grizzlies are a team that regularly makes the postseason. However, due to all the key pieces missing out on numerous games, the Grizzlies might be a lottery team, being rewarded with a top 5 pick in the 2024 draft.