Ja Morant Sends Strong Message to Grizzlies After Blowout Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 6:16 AM ET

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies got embarrassed on their own home floor on Wednesday night.

This came in the form of a 141-125 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which was thanks in large part to a 44-point eruption by Anthony Edwards.

This was a crucial loss for the Grizzlies, who now find themselves in a three-way tie with the Wolves and the Golden State Warriors for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the West.

Memphis has two more games left in the regular season, and they will need to win if they want to avoid the Play-In Tournament.

Ja Morant, who finished with 36 points on 13-of-27 shooting, to go along with six assists and five triples, spoke to reporters after the final buzzer. The two-time All-Star sent a blunt message to his team after this brutal loss.

"Play some (expletive) defense and go get a win," Morant said plainly.

After tonight's loss, the Grizzlies have to go to Denver in a back to back scenario hoping to avoid the play in tournament

Ja Morant's message to the squad:
"Play some f***ing defense and go get a win." pic.twitter.com/4BKJyp4Deq
— Avery Braxton (@Brax_Avery) April 11, 2025

Morant was not messing around as he sent a strong wake-up call to his Grizzlies teammates. Defense was clearly an issue for Memphis in Thursday's loss, and they will need to do much better in this department moving forward.

They will get a chance to do so on Friday in a tough matchup against the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets on the road. Morant and Co. then close out their season with a home game against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

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

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