Is Ja Morant playing against the Lakers? Latest injury update on Grizzlies' star ahead of matchup (26th April 2023)

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies dropped another game on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers as they now find themselves in a disappointing 1-3 hole.

For Game 5 at Memphis' FedExForum, Ja Morant is not listed on the injury report and should be available to extend the series to a possible Game 6 back in Los Angeles.

Morant was sidelined in Game 2 as he tended to a right hand soreness that he sustained in Game 1 when he landed awkwardly after a strong drive to the basket collided with Anthony Davis.

He was cleared to play for Game 3 with no restrictions and went on to drop 45 points on 50.0% shooting, including 60.0% from three-point range, 13 assists and nine rebounds.

Morant was as electric as ever, even with the pain coming from his hand injury, but he was unable to sustain the same level of play in a pivotal Game 4 on the road. The Grizzlies badly needed to secure a win to even the odds at 2-2 apiece before heading home to Memphis, but they simply couldn't close the deal against LeBron James' 20 points and as many rebounds effort.

The Lakers were able to put the clamps on Morant for almost the entire duration of the fourth quarter. Morant only had 1 point coming from his trip to the free-throw line but was held scoreless, going 0-4 shooting while in overtime he had 2 points on 1-4 shooting.The Memphis' All-Star had 19 points on 8-24 shooting, including 1-6 from the three-point line, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals.

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Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks ducking from accountability

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies are known for being one of the best young teams in the league with tremendous upside but also for all of their showboating and trashtalking.

When it comes to competing at the NBA-level, trashtalking and showboating is normal and is even encouraged most of the time as it elevates players' level of play.

Dillon Brooks recently made headline news when he commented on how he wished to match up against LeBron James back in his prime days with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers as he faces no challenge guarding James' current version.

Memphis Grizzlies v Los Angeles Lakers - Game Four

But after losing two straight games on the road to the Lakers, both Morant and Brooks declined to speak to reporters after both players combined for 30 points when the team needed more from their two core players.

ESPN's Richard Jefferson was critical of both players' lack of accountability.

“If you’re not going to talk to the media after two straight games, that to me is cowardice," Jefferson said. "And I don’t believe either [Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks] are cowards… After talking the talk— you can’t avoid the media."

So far in this first-round series, Morant is averaging 27.3 points on 45.3% shooting, including 47.4% from three-point range, 7.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

While for Dillon Brooks, who has talked the most trash in this series, is averaging 11.3 points on 33.3% shooting, including 22.2% from three-point range, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists.