Dirty play or freak accident? Lu Dort in hot waters after Ja Morant takes Jimmy Butler-esque fall in Game 3

OKC Thunder defender Lu Dort is facing the wrath of NBA fans after his challenge on Grizzlies' star Ja Morant in Game 3 of the playoffs.

Dirty play or freak accident? Lu Dort in hot waters after Ja Morant takes Jimmy Butler-esque fall in Game 3

Ja Morant

Just a day earlier, during the Houston Rockets-Golden State Warriors’ game, Amen Thompson and Draymond Green were called out for their defensive actions. So much so that Warriors star Jimmy Butler had to leave the court after Thompson’s challenge on him. Today, the Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant faced the same fate after a challenge by Thunder defender Lu Dort.

On a fastbreak play, Morant attempted a slam but was cut off in midair by Thunder player Lu Dort. The Grizzlies’ star stumbled and fell to the ground with a fairly severe injury. Just like Butler at the Toyota Center, Morant was forced to leave the game after a devastating fall in the second quarter.

Losing was not an option for the Grizzlies side going into this matchup as they were 0-2 in the series. Now, with Morant getting injured, they will have to battle it out on the court without one of their main players. Dort’s ugly play on Morant has got the Grizzlies fanbase fuming via their socials. Fans furiously criticized Dort for his part in Morant’s injury as soon as the contentious play went viral online.

On social media, demands for the NBA to punish the Thunder’s defensive specialist quickly gained momentum. However, one fan did point out that Dort appeared to slip before making a challenge on Morant, resulting in his freak injury.

After the play, Morant was sluggish to stand up and needed assistance from teammates to walk to the bench. Fortunately, the guard for the Grizzlies was able to come back and complete his free throws. Nevertheless, he finally left the game to head to the dressing room.

Fans furious with Lu Dort’s defensive play resulting in Ja Morant’s injury

Lu Dort, the Oklahoma City Thunder star, is one of the biggest villains in the eyes of the Memphis Grizzlies’ supporters. His foul on Ja Morant was a ‘bad’ one, that’s how the NBA fans are putting it via their socials. Morant and his side had a hefty 67-40 lead before going down with an injury, adding to the frustrations of the fans.

Many fans took to various social media apps and sites to put forward their views on Lu Dort’s bad challenge on Morant. Some fans claimed that the Thunder player should be suspended by the NBA for his foul. One fan wrote on X, “He gets away with rough plays and people think that makes him good at defense.”

However, some fans did claim that he slipped, but the tackle on Morant was too much for the Grizzlies fans to handle. Mostly because Morant and his side were cruising to an important win on home court. That eventually did not happen. With Morant out after playing only for 15 minutes, the Thunder bounced back and won the game, making it 3-0 in the ongoing playoff series.

Famous doctor explained Ja Morant’s freak injury

Just as many fans were still trying to process the Ja Morant injury news, renowned Dr. Brian Sutterer provided a detailed explanation regarding his injury on his YouTube channel. According to Sutterer, this injury/fall is comparable to a hip pointer, a more prevalent sports injury. He went on to say that he doesn’t anticipate Morant being sidelined for any more games if he sustained what is essentially a hip pointer.

According to Sutterer, the greater worry is that it might be a hip fracture, which would require a far longer healing period. On November 10, 2024, Thunder star Chet Holmgren had a hard fall that resulted in a hip fracture. Holmgren’s comeback to the court took almost three whole months, and Oklahoma City distributed his minutes sparingly for the remainder of the season. Per reports, Morant will be assessed after the game by the medical department.