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NBA playoffs: Ja Morant deletes 'broke the code' tweet after apparent knee injury

SAN FRANCISCO — In a game that was missing a player for a flagrant 2 foul, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant apparently wasn’t happy with how his injury occurred late in Game 3.

Morant was injured late in the Grizzlies’ 142-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors. With under 7 minutes left in the game, he limped off the court during a timeout and was looked at on the bench. He went to the locker room and did not return.

After the game, Morant tweeted “broke the code” with a video clip of his apparent knee injury, then quickly deleted the tweet.

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said Jordan Poole grabbed Morant’s knee and “yanked it.” Morant was being evaluated postgame. His status is unclear for Game 4.

Jenkins said the Grizzlies would discuss the play and decide whether to ask the league to look into it. He added that he was “curious to see what happens.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said they did not see what preceded the injury. Poole said it was a basketball play and that he was going for the ball, saying, “I respect everybody.”

After Game 2, Kerr said Dillon Brooks “broke the code” when he earned a flagrant 2 foul for a hard hit on Gary Payton II. Brooks earned a one-game suspension and missed Saturday’s game. Payton will miss the remainder of the series with a fractured elbow.

Before Morant’s injury, he had 34 points, three rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He also hit a shot from beyond midcourt to beat the halftime buzzer.

Game 4 is 10 p.m. ET Monday at Chase Center. The Warriors lead 2-1.

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant sits on the bench and reacts after a team trainer examines his knee during a timeout against the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco on May 7, 2022. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant sits on the bench and reacts after a team trainer examines his knee during a timeout against the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco on May 7, 2022. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)