Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant made a blunt promise after his team’s ugly Game 1 loss in the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Sunday.
Morant and the Grizzlies lost 131-80 to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Ok. on Sunday. The defeat was the fifth-largest in NBA playoff history, and left many questioning whether the Grizzlies could even compete with Oklahoma City in the series.
Morant was still feeling bullish despite the manner of defeat. After the game, he promised that the Grizzlies would not play that badly again.
“We will never play that bad again,” Morant pledged.
Ja Morant: “We will never play that bad again.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 20, 2025
Asked about his sprained ankle, he said: “I felt good. I was available.”
It would be hard for Memphis to play worse. They were already down 32 at halftime and allowed 112 points through three quarters. Morant was complicit in that, scoring 17 points on 6/17 shooting while contributing just four assists and three rebounds.
Even if Morant is right, it might not be enough for the Grizzlies to win the series. They did not look like they belonged on the same floor as the Thunder on Sunday. This may wind up being a short playoff trip for them, and is probably not what they had in mind when they made abrupt changes toward the end of the regular season.
