Grizzlies’ Morant (calf) to miss at least 2 weeks

The Memphis Grizzlies disclosed on Monday that their star guard Ja Morant experienced a Grade 1 right calf strain during the first quarter of Saturday’s defeat against Cleveland and will be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks.

Morant exited the game with 6:01 left in the initial quarter after netting 7 points in six minutes on 2-of-2 shooting. The guard had previously missed the Wednesday game against the Boston Celtics due to a sore right ankle.

Morant’s most recent injury occurs as Memphis is in the midst of a four-game losing streak, having lost eight of their last nine games leading up to Tuesday’s encounter with the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.

A two-time NBA All-Star, Morant, 26, is currently experiencing career lows in minutes (28.8), field goal percentage (35.9%), 3-point field goal percentage (16.7%), and rebounds (3.5), alongside averaging a career-high of 3.8 turnovers per game.

The Grizzlies suspended Morant for conduct harmful to the team following a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 31, after he was involved in a postgame interaction with coach Tuomas Iisalo. Morant re-entered the lineup on Nov. 3 against Detroit.

In the third year of a five-year, $197.2 million deal signed in 2022, Morant has appeared in just 59 games over the past two seasons due to injuries and two suspensions linked to incidents involving firearms.