Following further evaluation, including a CT scan on Wednesday, Portland guard CJ McCollum&rsquo;s right lung is fully healed after suffering a pneumothorax earlier this month, the team announced today.
McCollum has been cleared for non-contact drills, increased conditioning, and shooting. &nbsp;He will continue his recovery protocol and will be reevaluated next week. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
In 24 games this season (all starts), McCollum has averaged 20.6 points (42.4% FG, 39.3% 3-PT, 70.0% FT), 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.08 steals and 35.3 minutes.
Source: NBA.com/Blazers

Following further evaluation, including a CT scan on Wednesday, Portland guard CJ McCollum&rsquo;s right lung is fully healed after suffering a pneumothorax earlier this month, the team announced today.
McCollum has been cleared for non-contact drills, increased conditioning, and shooting. &nbsp;He will continue his recovery protocol and will be reevaluated next week. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
In 24 games this season (all starts), McCollum has averaged 20.6 points (42.4% FG, 39.3% 3-PT, 70.0% FT), 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.08 steals and 35.3 minutes.
Source: <a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/2021/12/23/cj-mccollum-right-lung-fully-healed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com/Blazers</a>
&nbsp;

Following further evaluation, including a CT scan on Wednesday, Portland guard CJ McCollum&rsquo;s right lung is fully healed after suffering a pneumothorax earlier this month, the team announced today.
McCollum has been cleared for non-contact drills, increased conditioning, and shooting. &nbsp;He will continue his recovery protocol and will be reevaluated next week. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
In 24 games this season (all starts), McCollum has averaged 20.6 points (42.4% FG, 39.3% 3-PT, 70.0% FT), 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.08 steals and 35.3 minutes.
Source: <a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/2021/12/23/cj-mccollum-right-lung-fully-healed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com/Blazers</a>
ANALYSIS: With McCollum's right lung now fully healed, his name could be brought back up in trade rumors as the struggling Portland Trail Blazers look destined to make some sort of move before the NBA's Febuarary trade deadline.

Following further evaluation, including a CT scan on Wednesday, Portland guard CJ McCollum&rsquo;s right lung is fully healed after suffering a pneumothorax earlier this month, the team announced today.
McCollum has been cleared for non-contact drills, increased conditioning, and shooting. &nbsp;He will continue his recovery protocol and will be reevaluated next week. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
In 24 games this season (all starts), McCollum has averaged 20.6 points (42.4% FG, 39.3% 3-PT, 70.0% FT), 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.08 steals and 35.3 minutes.
Source: <a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/2021/12/23/cj-mccollum-right-lung-fully-healed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com/Blazers</a>
ANALYSIS: With McCollum's right lung now fully healed, his name could be brought back up in trade rumors as the struggling Portland Trail Blazers look destined to make some sort of move before the NBA's Febuarary trade deadline.

Following further evaluation, including a CT scan on Wednesday, Portland guard CJ McCollum&rsquo;s right lung is fully healed after suffering a pneumothorax earlier this month, the team announced today.
McCollum has been cleared for non-contact drills, increased conditioning, and shooting. &nbsp;He will continue his recovery protocol and will be reevaluated next week. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
In 24 games this season (all starts), McCollum has averaged 20.6 points (42.4% FG, 39.3% 3-PT, 70.0% FT), 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.08 steals and 35.3 minutes.
Source: <a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/2021/12/23/cj-mccollum-right-lung-fully-healed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com/Blazers</a>
ANALYSIS: With McCollum's right lung now fully healed, his name could be brought back up in trade rumors as the struggling Portland Trail Blazers look destined to make some sort of move before the NBA's February trade deadline.

CJ McCollum's right lung has fully healed and he will be reevaluated next week, according to the team.

Report: CJ McCollum's lung has fully healed, will be reevaluated next week

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorily and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorily and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it woul

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorily and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it would likely be a two-three year deal considering Rubio's age at 34 years-old.

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorily and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it would likely be a two-three year deal considering Rubio's age at 31 years-old. In his first season with Cleveland, the

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorily and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it would likely be a two-three year deal considering Rubio's age at 31 years-old. In his first season with Cleveland, the veteran guard is averaging

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorily and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it would likely be a two-three year deal considering Rubio's age at 31 years-old. In his first season with Cleveland, the veteran guard is averaging 12.6 points

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorily and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it would likely be a two-three year deal considering Rubio's age at 31 years-old. In his first season with Cleveland, the veteran guard is averaging 12.6 points and 6.6 assists in

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorily and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it would likely be a two-three year deal considering Rubio's age at 31 years-old. In his first season with Cleveland, the veteran guard is averaging 12.6 points and 6.6 assists in 28.4 minutes per game.

In an interview with HoopsHype Mike Scotto, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorly and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it would likely be a two-three year deal considering Rubio's age at 31 years-old. In his first season with Cleveland, the veteran guard is averaging 12.6 points and 6.6 assists in 28.4 minutes per game.

In an interview with <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/collin-sexton-kevin-love-ricky-rubio-nba-rumors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HoopsHype Mike Scotto</a>, Cavaliers beat writer Chris Fedor provided some insight on how people in the Cavs organization currently see Rubio's fit with the team:
"I think there are people inside the organization that have had conversations about the possibility of giving him a contract extension and keeping him beyond this year. The way he&rsquo;s played, he&rsquo;s shown he can still play at a high level."
Rubio is enjoying a great season with Cleveland, and with Collin Sexton out with an injury, Rubio and Darius Garland have stepped up majorly and are both real reasons why the Cavs are sitting 19-13 on the year and fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
If Rubio does agree to an extension, it would likely be a two-three year deal considering Rubio's age at 31 years-old. In his first season with Cleveland, the veteran guard is averaging 12.6 points and 6.6 assists in 28.4 minutes per game.

According to reports, the Cavaliers could offer Ricky Rubio a contract extension because of his high-level play this season.

Cavs could offer Ricky Rubio contract extension?

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks.Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks.
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.
Source: Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks.
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks and Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks.
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS:

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks.
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: The NBA and NBPA are in talks to shorten the quarantine period for

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks.
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: The NBA and NBPA are in talks to shorten the quarantine period from 10 to six days, but no deal has been finalized yet.

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks.
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: The NBA and NBPA are in talks to shorten the quarantine period from 10 to six days, but no deal has been finalized yet. Beal and Towns will likely be sidelined for the next several days unless they test our or the league agrees to a shortened quarantine

Wizards&lsquo; Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out tonight vs. Knicks.
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has entered COVID-19 protocols.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: The NBA and NBPA are in talks to shorten the quarantine period from 10 to six days, but no deal has been finalized yet. Beal and Towns will likely be sidelined for the next several days unless they test our or the league agrees to a shortened quarantine period.

According to The Athletic, Bradley Beal and Karl-Anthony Towns have both entered health/safety protocols.

Bradley Beal, Karl-Anthony Towns latest stars to enter health/safety protocols

Knicks&lsquo; Derrick Rose underwent ankle surgery and will miss at least 8 weeks.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1473815730806263808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>

Knicks&lsquo; Derrick Rose underwent ankle surgery and will miss at least 8 weeks.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1473815730806263808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS:

Knicks&lsquo; Derrick Rose underwent ankle surgery and will miss at least 8 weeks.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1473815730806263808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: ESPN added that the Knicks are optimistic the timeline for Rose and his ankle could be closer to six weeks instead of the anticipated eight, but regardless the Knicks will be without a huge piece off the bench for at least a month and a half.

Knicks&lsquo; Derrick Rose underwent ankle surgery and will miss at least 8 weeks.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1473815730806263808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: ESPN added that the Knicks are optimistic the timeline for Rose and his ankle could be closer to six weeks instead of the anticipated eight, but regardless the Knicks will be without a huge piece off the bench for at least a month and a half.

New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose has undergone surgery on his ankle and will be out at least eight weeks.

Derrick Rose undergoes ankle surgery, out eight weeks

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. He's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.
Source:

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. He's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. He's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1473487871122317318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. He's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1473487871122317318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS:

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. 
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1473487871122317318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Mudiay last played in the NBA during the 2019-20 season with the Utah Jazz and has been playing in Europe since, but with COVID-19 decimating NBA rosters, it looks like Mudiay will get another oppurtunity in the league. Wojnarowski added that He's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. 
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1473487871122317318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Mudiay last played in the NBA during the 2019-20 season with the Utah Jazz and has been playing in Europe since, but with COVID-19 decimating NBA rosters, it looks like Mudiay will get another oppurtunity in the league. Wojnarowski added that Mudiay's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. 
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1473487871122317318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Mudiay last played in the NBA during the 2019-20 season with the Utah Jazz and has been playing in Europe since, but with COVID-19 decimating NBA rosters, it looks like Mudiay will get another opportunity in the league. Wojnarowski added that Mudiay's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. 
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1473487871122317318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Mudiay last played in the NBA during the 2019-20 season with the Utah Jazz and has been playing in Europe since, but with COVID-19 decimating NBA rosters, it looks like Mudiay will get another opportunity in the league. Wojnarowski added that Mudiay's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers

The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. 
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1473487871122317318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Mudiay last played in the NBA during the 2019-20 season with the Utah Jazz and has been playing in Europe since, but with COVID-19 decimating NBA rosters, it looks like Mudiay will get another opportunity in the league. Wojnarowski added that Mudiay's expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.

According to ESPN, the Kings will sign Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day contract.

Kings sign Emmanuel Mudiay to 10-day contract

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness. The Mavericks play at Utah on Christmas Day.
Source: Marc Stein (Twitter)

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness. The Mavericks play at Utah on Christmas Day.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473440501663604738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness. The Mavericks play at Utah on Christmas Day.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473440501663604738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Doncic has missed five consecutive games for

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness. The Mavericks play at Utah on Christmas Day.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473440501663604738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Doncic has missed five consecutive games for the Mavs because of a nagging left ankle injury

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness. The Mavericks play at Utah on Christmas Day.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473440501663604738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Doncic has missed five consecutive games for the Mavs because of a nagging left ankle injury but

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness. The Mavericks play at Utah on Christmas Day.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473440501663604738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Doncic has missed five consecutive games for the Mavs because of a nagging left ankle injury but the All-Star guard appears to be closing in on a return. If Doncic can't go Thursday vs. the Bucks, his next oppurtunity to take the court will be Christmas day vs. the

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness. The Mavericks play at Utah on Christmas Day.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473440501663604738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Doncic has missed five consecutive games for the Mavs because of a nagging left ankle injury but the All-Star guard appears to be closing in on a return. If Doncic can't go Thursday vs. the Bucks, his next oppurtunity to take the court will be Christmas day vs. the Jazz.

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473440501663604738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Doncic has missed five consecutive games for the Mavs because of a nagging left ankle injury but the All-Star guard appears to be closing in on a return. If Doncic can't go Thursday vs. the Bucks, his next oppurtunity to take the court will be Christmas day vs. the Jazz.

Dallas is hopeful Luka Doncic can return Thursday against Milwaukee after missing the last five games due to left ankle soreness.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473440501663604738" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Doncic has missed five consecutive games for the Mavs because of a nagging left ankle injury but the All-Star guard appears to be closing in on a return. If Doncic can't go Thursday vs. the Bucks, his next opportunity to take the court will be Christmas day vs. the Jazz.

The Dallas Mavericks are hopeful that Luka Doncic (ankle) will return Thursday vs. the Bucks.

Mavs hopeful that Luka Doncic (ankle) will play Thursday vs. Bucks

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts. This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder (whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago).
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
Bane concluded with, &ldquo;He (Morant) will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be.&rdquo;
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but it's Memphis' turn to now show the love back.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts. This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder (whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago).
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane added.
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but it's Memphis' turn to now show the love back.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts. This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder (whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago).
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane added.
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but Memphis needs to&nbsp; turn to&nbsp; show the love back.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts. This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder (whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago).
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane added.
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but that needs to go both ways.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts. This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder (whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago).
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane added.
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but Memphis needs to show that same love back.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts. This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder (whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago).
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane added.
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but Memphis needs to show that same love back.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball (as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts). This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder (whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago).
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane added.
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but Memphis needs to show that same love back.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball (as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts). This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder, whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago.
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane added.
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but Memphis needs to show that same love back.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball (as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts). This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder, whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago.
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane added. "It's his franchise."
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but Memphis needs to show that same love back.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball (as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts). This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder, whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago.
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane <a href="https://twitter.com/sbnGrizzlies/status/1473146194050396162" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. "It's his franchise."
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but Memphis needs to show that same love back.

Ja Morant said courtside fans were telling him to sit back out after a lackluster performance from the Grizzlies in his return.

Ja Morant 'hurt' by fans telling him to sit back out as Grizzlies lose

Mavericks add that Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness) will remain out against Minnesota, missing his fifth straight game and ninth of the season.
Source: Marc Stein (Tw

Mavericks add that Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness) will remain out against Minnesota, missing his fifth straight game and ninth of the season.
Source: Marc Stein (Twitter)

Mavericks add that Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness) will remain out against Minnesota, missing his fifth straight game and ninth of the season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473025474095767554" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Along with Doncic

Mavericks add that Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness) will remain out against Minnesota, missing his fifth straight game and ninth of the season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473025474095767554" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: The Mavericks also say that Kristaps Porzingis

Mavericks add that Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness) will remain out against Minnesota, missing his fifth straight game and ninth of the season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473025474095767554" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: The Mavericks also say that Kristaps Porzingis is 'questionable' for Tuesday's matchup vs. the Timberwolves

Mavericks add that Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness) will remain out against Minnesota, missing his fifth straight game and ninth of the season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473025474095767554" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: The Mavericks also say that Kristaps Porzingis is 'questionable' for Tuesday's matchup vs. the Timberwolves due to 'right toe soreness'.

Mavericks add that Luka Dončić (left ankle soreness) will remain out against Minnesota, missing his fifth straight game and ninth of the season.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1473025474095767554" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Stein (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: The Mavericks also say that Kristaps Porzingis is 'questionable' for Tuesday's matchup vs. the Timberwolves due to 'right toe soreness'. It remains unclear when Dallas will get their starting point guard back, but the Mavericks seem to be evaluating him on a game-by-game basis at this point.

Luka Doncic will miss his fifth straight game with an ankle injury and is listed as 'out' Tuesday vs. the Timberwolves.

Luka Doncic (ankle) will miss fifth straight game, out vs. Minnesota

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided littler

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's progress

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's rehab progress

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's rehab progress but this is both great news for the Grizzlies and the rest of the NBA as Morant is one of the league's most exciting young players to watch.

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's rehab progress but this is both great news for the Grizzlies and the rest of the NBA as Morant is one of the league's most exciting young players to watch.
&nbsp;

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's rehab progress but this is both great news for the Grizzlies and the rest of the NBA as Morant is one of the league's most exciting young players to watch.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> status update: Ja Morant (L knee sprain) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight's game vs <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@okcthunder</a>. Tyus Jones (R finger sprain) has been downgraded to OUT. <a href="https://t.co/prQup8bViY">https://t.co/prQup8bViY</a>
&mdash; Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrizzliesPR/status/1473088848204906498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's rehab progress but this is both great news for the Grizzlies and the rest of the NBA as Morant is one of the league's most exciting young players to watch.
Morant was enjoying a breakout
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> status update: Ja Morant (L knee sprain) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight's game vs <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@okcthunder</a>. Tyus Jones (R finger sprain) has been downgraded to OUT. <a href="https://t.co/prQup8bViY">https://t.co/prQup8bViY</a>
&mdash; Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrizzliesPR/status/1473088848204906498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's rehab progress but this is both great news for the Grizzlies and the rest of the NBA as Morant is one of the league's most exciting young players to watch.
Morant was enjoying a breakout third year in the league, averaging
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> status update: Ja Morant (L knee sprain) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight's game vs <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@okcthunder</a>. Tyus Jones (R finger sprain) has been downgraded to OUT. <a href="https://t.co/prQup8bViY">https://t.co/prQup8bViY</a>
&mdash; Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrizzliesPR/status/1473088848204906498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's rehab progress but this is both great news for the Grizzlies and the rest of the NBA as Morant is one of the league's most exciting young players to watch.
Morant was enjoying a breakout third year in the league, averaging 24.1 points
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> status update: Ja Morant (L knee sprain) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight's game vs <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@okcthunder</a>. Tyus Jones (R finger sprain) has been downgraded to OUT. <a href="https://t.co/prQup8bViY">https://t.co/prQup8bViY</a>
&mdash; Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrizzliesPR/status/1473088848204906498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant returned from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced. Morant had missed the teams previous 12 games due to a left knee sprained he sustained on Nov. 16th vs. the Hawks. Memphis provided little to no updates on Morant's rehab progress but this is both great news for the Grizzlies and the rest of the NBA as Morant is one of the league's most exciting young players to watch.
Morant was enjoying a breakout third year in the league, averaging 24.1 points and 6.8 assists per game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> status update: Ja Morant (L knee sprain) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight's game vs <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@okcthunder</a>. Tyus Jones (R finger sprain) has been downgraded to OUT. <a href="https://t.co/prQup8bViY">https://t.co/prQup8bViY</a>
&mdash; Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrizzliesPR/status/1473088848204906498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Ja Morant (knee) will return from a 12-game absence tonight vs. the Thunder, the team announced.

Ja Morant (knee) returns from 12-game absence, starts vs. Thunder

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
&nbsp;

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the NBA Players of the Week for Week 9.

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the NBA Players of the Week for Week 9.
The All-Star forward 9powered Boston to a 2-1 week, starting with a 42-point performance in a win against the Bucks. He had 27 points in a narrow loss to the Warriors and capped the week with a 25-point performance in a win against the Knicks. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists during Week 9. The Celtics (15-15) are the No. 7 seed in the East standings.

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the NBA Players of the Week for Week 9.
The All-Star forward (Jayson Tatum) powered Boston to a 2-1 week, starting with a 42-point performance in a win against the Bucks. He had 27 points in a narrow loss to the Warriors and capped the week with a 25-point performance in a win against the Knicks. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists during Week 9. The Celtics (15-15) are the No. 7 seed in the East standings.
&nbsp;

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the NBA Players of the Week for Week 9.
The All-Star forward (Jayson Tatum) powered Boston to a 2-1 week, starting with a 42-point performance in a win against the Bucks. He had 27 points in a narrow loss to the Warriors and capped the week with a 25-point performance in a win against the Knicks. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists during Week 9. The Celtics (15-15) are the No. 7 seed in the East standings.
Minnesota&rsquo;s star big man was a standout throughout Week 9 as the Timberwolves rolled up a 3-0 mark. Towns averaged 28 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks on 54.7% shooting in wins against the Nuggets, Lakers and Mavericks. The Timberwolves (15-15) are the No. 8 seed in the West standings.

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the NBA Players of the Week for Week 9.
The All-Star forward (Jayson Tatum) powered Boston to a 2-1 week, starting with a 42-point performance in a win against the Bucks. He had 27 points in a narrow loss to the Warriors and capped the week with a 25-point performance in a win against the Knicks. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists during Week 9. The Celtics (15-15) are the No. 7 seed in the East standings.
Minnesota&rsquo;s star big man (Karl-Anthony Towns) was a standout throughout Week 9 as the Timberwolves rolled up a 3-0 mark. Towns averaged 28 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks on 54.7% shooting in wins against the Nuggets, Lakers and Mavericks. The Timberwolves (15-15) are the No. 8 seed in the West standings.

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
"Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the NBA Players of the Week for Week 9.
The All-Star forward (Jayson Tatum) powered Boston to a 2-1 week, starting with a 42-point performance in a win against the Bucks. He had 27 points in a narrow loss to the Warriors and capped the week with a 25-point performance in a win against the Knicks. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists during Week 9. The Celtics (15-15) are the No. 7 seed in the East standings.
Minnesota&rsquo;s star big man (Karl-Anthony Towns) was a standout throughout Week 9 as the Timberwolves rolled up a 3-0 mark. Towns averaged 28 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks on 54.7% shooting in wins against the Nuggets, Lakers and Mavericks. The Timberwolves (15-15) are the No. 8 seed in the West standings."

Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
"Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the NBA Players of the Week for Week 9.
The All-Star forward (Jayson Tatum) powered Boston to a 2-1 week, starting with a 42-point performance in a win against the Bucks. He had 27 points in a narrow loss to the Warriors and capped the week with a 25-point performance in a win against the Knicks. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists during Week 9. The Celtics (15-15) are the No. 7 seed in the East standings.
Minnesota&rsquo;s star big man (Karl-Anthony Towns) was a standout throughout Week 9 as the Timberwolves rolled up a 3-0 mark. Towns averaged 28 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks on 54.7% shooting in wins against the Nuggets, Lakers and Mavericks. The Timberwolves (15-15) are the No. 8 seed in the West standings."
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Boston's Jayson Tatum and Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns were named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 9.
Here is the official release from the NBA:
"Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns have been named the NBA Players of the Week for Week 9.
The All-Star forward (Jayson Tatum) powered Boston to a 2-1 week, starting with a 42-point performance in a win against the Bucks. He had 27 points in a narrow loss to the Warriors and capped the week with a 25-point performance in a win against the Knicks. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists during Week 9. The Celtics (15-15) are the No. 7 seed in the East standings.
Minnesota&rsquo;s star big man (Karl-Anthony Towns) was a standout throughout Week 9 as the Timberwolves rolled up a 3-0 mark. Towns averaged 28 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks on 54.7% shooting in wins against the Nuggets, Lakers and Mavericks. The Timberwolves (15-15) are the No. 8 seed in the West standings."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/towns-tatum-potw_lg.jpeg" alt="" />

Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns have won player of the week honors for week 9.

Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns win Player of the Week honors for Week 9

Celtics G/F Josh Richardson has re-entered health and safety protocols and is listed out vs. 76ers on Monday. Richardson scored 27 points in a win over New York on Saturday night.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1472698679098318850" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>

Celtics G/F Josh Richardson has re-entered health and safety protocols and is listed out vs. 76ers on Monday. Richardson scored 27 points in a win over New York on Saturday night.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1472698679098318850" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS:

Celtics G/F Josh Richardson has re-entered health and safety protocols and is listed out vs. 76ers on Monday. Richardson scored 27 points in a win over New York on Saturday night.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1472698679098318850" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Richardson entered the health and safety protocols earlier this month and was forced to miss two games. It's unclear if Richardson registered a positive test or not, but nonetheless he will be forced to miss Monday's game vs. the 76ers.

Celtics' Josh Richardson re-enters health/safety protocols, out Monday vs. 76ers.

Celtics' Josh Richardson re-enters protocols, out Monday vs. 76ers

After missing seven consecutive games with hamstring injury, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker will return tonight at home against Charlotte, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1472698970174541827" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>

After missing seven consecutive games with hamstring injury, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker will return tonight at home against Charlotte, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1472698970174541827" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Booker injured his hamstring vs. the Warriors weeks ago and is now set to return to the lineup

After missing seven consecutive games with hamstring injury, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker will return tonight at home against Charlotte, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1472698970174541827" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Booker injured his hamstring vs. the Warriors weeks ago and is now set to return to the lineup. Phoenix has gone

After missing seven consecutive games with hamstring injury, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker will return tonight at home against Charlotte, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1472698970174541827" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Booker injured his hamstring vs. the Warriors weeks ago and is now set to return to the lineup. Phoenix has gone 6-2 since Booker went down with the injury.

After missing seven consecutive games with hamstring injury, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker will return tonight at home against Charlotte, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1472698970174541827" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter)</a>
ANALYSIS: Booker injured his hamstring vs. the Warriors weeks ago and is now set to return to the lineup. Phoenix has gone 6-2 since Booker went down with the injury.

According to The Athletic, Devin Booker will return from a hamstring injury tonight vs. the Hornets.

Devin Booker (hamstring) will return tonight vs. Charlotte

Jonathan Concool is an NBA news desk editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. Previously, his work has been featured on Basketball Insiders. This is his sixth season working in sports journalism.