Grizzlies' Ja Morant (hand) to be game-time call for Game 2

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Grizzlies All-Star point guard Ja Morant will be a game-time decision for Wednesday's Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers because of bruising in his right hand, coach Taylor Jenkins said Tuesday.

X-rays after the Grizzlies' loss in Game 1 on Sunday were negative. An MRI on Monday revealed an aggravation of soft tissue bruising in Morant's hand. The injury was originally suffered in Memphis' April 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, but it was made worse when Morant used his right hand to break his fall after committing a charge against Lakers big man Anthony Davis in the fourth quarter Sunday.

Jenkins said that Morant did some shooting and dribbling with his right hand during Tuesday's practice and that his «symptoms are slightly improving.»

«He's progressing,» Jenkins said Tuesday. «He's dribbling and shooting as much as he can. As I said, he's got some pain he's dealing with, so it's kind of a tolerance thing. He's got some stiffness in his hand that he's kind of slowly getting through. We'll see how he wakes up [Wednesday].»

Morant, who was not made available to the media, did not wear a wrap or any extra protection on his hand during practice. A Grizzlies staffer wrapped it with ice after practice, when Morant playfully shot with his left hand while teammates went through their normal shooting routines.

Morant, who averaged 26.2 points and 8.1 assists per game during the regular season, did not return after aggravating the injury with 5:48 remaining in the fourth quarter Sunday. He said after the loss that he was in «a good bit of pain» and described his Game 2 availability as «in jeopardy.»

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