Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) looks on from the bench area during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game four for the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ja Morant makes bold five-word claim about Thunder-Grizzlies series

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Apr 27, 2025 11:53 PM ET

Ja Morant did not hide his true feelings about how the Memphis Grizzlies’ season ended.

On Sunday, Morant held his exit interview following his team’s playoff elimination at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. After weighing in on Memphis’ season as a whole, the two-time All-Star was asked about the Grizzlies getting swept by OKC.

Morant prefaced his response by saying that he was “scared” to reply because his quotes often come back to haunt him. After his disclaimer and a lengthy pause, Morant gave his answer.

“I had them figured out,” Morant said with a stern look on his face.

“Going out, Game 3. Not being able to play was frustrating because that win right there could have made this totally different. I feel like we’d be on our way to OKC, series tied 2-2.”

Ja Morant paused because he wanted to be careful with his words, but he clearly had more to say when asked about how the OKC series turned out.

“I had them figured out.”

Added that he believes the series would be tied 2-2 headed back to OKC if he didn’t get hurt.
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) April 27, 2025

For at least the first two quarters of Game 3, the Grizzlies did appear to “figure out” the Thunder. Memphis built up a 29-point lead and looked poised to score its first win of the series.

But the Grizzlies’ hold on the game unraveled quickly after Morant suffered a hip injury late in the second quarter. The All-Star guard did not return as his team suffered a historic meltdown to lose 114-108. The Morant-less Grizzlies put up a valiant effort but failed to avoid a sweep in Game 4.

After the Thunder beat the Grizzlies by an ungodly 70 points combined over the first two games, it’s hard to buy into Morant’s claim that his team had solved top-seeded OKC. After yet another early postseason exit, Morant will have to wait until next season to prove it on the court.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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