Injury update: Ja Morant out for Thunder-Grizzlies Game 4 with hip contusion

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Up 3-0 in their Round 1 playoff series, the Oklahoma City Thunder will enter Game 4 against the Memphis Grizzlies with a significant advantage. Ja Morant (hip contusion) is listed as doubtful for Saturday's game. ESPN has reported he'll be out.

This shouldn't be a shocker. It's the final blow to a rough 24 hours for the Grizzlies. The Thunder's sluggish start to Game 3 put them in a 29-point deficit. It looked like Memphis was on its way to applying some pressure on the title contender to at least split its two road games.

Riding all the momentum, Morant went for a poster when Scotty Pippen Jr. passed the ball back to him in a two-on-one fastbreak advantage. Instead, Lu Dort ran into the Grizzlies' franchise player and had him fall hard on his side. He needed help to get up and attempt two free throws before he was ruled out for the second half with a hip injury.

In his absence, the Thunder mounted a historic comeback. They escaped with a 114-108 Game 3 win. Morant's absence caused the Grizzlies to only score 31 points in the second half as the Memphis crowd went silent. He reemerged on the bench but with crutches.

With Morant out for Game 4, the Thunder enter with a strong chance to complete the first-round series sweep. If so, that should give them plenty of time to rest ahead of Round 2 either against the Denver Nuggets or LA Clippers.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Injury update: Ja Morant out for Thunder-Grizzlies Game 4

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