Morant, hurt against Grizzlies, to miss at least four weeks — SkimNews
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- Ja Morant sustained a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out at least four weeks before being reevaluated, the Portland Trail Blazers announced Friday.
- Micah Nori said Morant felt a twinge before exiting in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's game — his first against his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies — and did not return.
- Portland Trail Blazers were 3-1 entering Friday, but Morant's four-week absence means he will miss at least the next 15 games, including the start of a four-game road trip against the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
- Ja Morant averaged 15.8 points and 5.5 assists over his first four games with Portland after scoring a season-high 23 points in Tuesday's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Portland Trail Blazers acquired Morant in a surprising offseason trade and paired him with Damian Lillard in a backcourt that delivered the NBA's No. 3-ranked offense through Thursday.
- Micah Nori said he had sought to limit Damian Lillard's and Morant's minutes to exploit Portland's backcourt depth; with Morant sidelined, Nori is likely to lean more heavily on Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson.
- Ja Morant, 27, has dealt with a series of injuries in recent seasons and played just 20 games in 2025-26 because of an elbow sprain.
Why it matters: Portland Trail Blazers must cover at least 15 games without Morant while opening a four-game road trip, shifting the immediate backcourt workload toward Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson. His absence also removes a 15.8-point, 5.5-assist-per-game contributor from the unit that ranked third in NBA offense through Thursday.
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