There is a growing controversy over the third consecutive game in the series between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies, but at least this one does not include the media in Memphis.
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors decided to use a blitz approach to protect Ja Morant. Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins rushed in and circled the Grizzlies star in an attempt to steal. The game eventually led to a foul on Wiggins, but also injured Morant’s knee.
Ja was disappointed after an obvious injury in this game.
I hope it’s okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/aXt1GNFkSQ
– Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 8, 2022
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins looked closely at Poole’s defense in the game as he spoke to reporters after the game. He said the Warriors guard grabbed Morant’s knee and “pulled” him, and when asked if he thought Poole had done it on purpose, he said, “I’m curious.” For what it’s worth, he said the team will discuss the game before deciding whether to propose an NBA investigation.
Morant, meanwhile, briefly wrote “broke the code” along with a clip from the play. The quote in the tweet is in connection with the comments of coach Steve Kerr about the rough foul of Dylan Brooks from 2 against Gary Peyton II, who broke the elbow of the guard of the Golden State. However, Morant deleted the tweet shortly after he posted it.
Clearly, Poole grabbed and pulled Morant’s legs. It is also clear what Morant thinks about the incident. What is not clear is the intent behind the action, or if this exact movement injured Morant’s leg – you could easily argue that some initial, more casual knee-to-knee contact between Morant and Poole’s knees earlier in the play could cause it.
When Poole was asked about his views on what happened, he said: “It was a basketball game. We doubled it, hit the ball and headed for the ball. Obviously I don’t want to see anyone hurt. I’m not even that type of player. I respect everyone, so I hope he gets better. “
Poole added: “I hope to see him there next game. I don’t even play that real. This is not my type of game. “
A reporter then took Morant’s deleted tweet to Poole, and all he said was, “We have another game on Monday.”
This is the third dispute in so many games in this series. In game 1, it was a foul 2 against Draymond Green. In Game 2, this was the much less controversial Brooks 2 against Payton II. And now there’s this for game 3.
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