Grizzlies guard Ja Morant exits playoff game vs Thunder with left hip contusion after hard fall

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis guard Ja Morant was knocked out of the Grizzlies' playoff game against Oklahoma City on Thursday night with a left hip injury after taking a hard fall under the basket late in the first half.

Morant went down hard with just over three minutes remaining in the half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game early in the second half after not joining the team at the start of the third quarter. Luke Kennard took his place in the Memphis lineup.

Without Morant in the lineup, the Thunder stormed back from a 29-point deficit and beat the Grizzlies 114-108 to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said after the game that Morant will undergo further evaluation Friday “and then we'll know more.”

Asked how much his absence affected the Grizzlies play in the second half, Iisalo replied: “I would say quite drastically from the end result. But not only the energy, but also the execution.”

Memphis was on a fast break after a Thunder turnover. Scotty Pippen was driving to the basket when he dropped the ball off to Morant at the rim. Luguentz Dort, who was stumbling at the time, fell into Morant while he was in the air, sending the Morant crashing to the floor. After shooting the ensuing free throws, Morant went to the locker room with Memphis up 67-40.

Morant was being helped to the locker room but returned — noticeably limping — to shoot the free throws. He missed both, but the ball went out of bounds, allowing Morant to leave the game. He took his jersey off as he was helped off the floor.

The play was reviewed for a flagrant foul, but was ruled a common foul.

Morant had 15 points and five assists when he left the game.

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) brings the ball upcourt against Memphis Grizzlies guards John Konchar (46) and Ja Morant (12) in the first half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) shoots between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) and forward Chet Holmgren, center left, in the first half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant looks on from the bench in the first half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) shoots against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts in the first half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) handles the ball between Oklahoma City Thunder guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and Luguentz Dort (5) in the first half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

BANGKOK (AP) — Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered Monday in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for a special meeting to discuss an ongoing border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that escalated into deadly combat two weeks ago.

The meeting marked the second time this year that the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, served as a platform to promote de-escalation between its two member states.

The new fighting derailed a ceasefire promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump, which ended five days of combat in July.

The agreement was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through under pressure from Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. The ceasefire was formalized with more detail at an October regional summit in Malaysia attended by Trump.

The fighting has drawn international concern. The U.S. Department of State on Sunday released a statement calling for Thailand and Cambodia to “end hostilities, withdraw heavy weapons, cease emplacement of landmines, and fully implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, which include mechanisms to accelerate humanitarian demining and address border issues.”

Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said on social media Sunday that he spoke with the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and conveyed “Thailand’s strong intention to work toward a ceasefire and outlined our clear path forward.”

Thailand will engage constructively at Monday’s meeting in Kuala Lumpur, he said.

Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn plans to attend the meeting, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Sunday, reaffirming its position of “resolving differences and disputes through all peaceful means, dialogue and diplomacy.”

The fighting is a result of a dispute over patches of territory claimed by both nations along their shared border.

The latest round of fighting began Dec. 8, a day after a border skirmish wounded two Thai soldiers. Since then combat has broken out on several fronts, with Thailand carrying out airstrikes in Cambodia with F-16 fighter jets and Cambodia firing thousands of medium-range BM-21 rockets from truck-mounted launchers that can launch up to 40 rockets simultaneously.

More than two dozen people on both sides of the border have officially been reported killed in the past week of fighting, while more than half a million have been displaced, according to officials.

Under the October truce Thailand was to to release 18 Cambodian soldiers held prisoner and both sides were to begin removing heavy weapons and land mines along the border. But the two countries have carried on a bitter propaganda war with minor cross-border violence.

Land mine explosions have been a particularly sensitive issue for Thailand, which has lodged several protests after alleging Cambodia laid new mines that wounded soldiers patrolling the frontier. Cambodia insists the mines were remnants of its decades-long civil war, which ended in 1999.

The Thai navy said Sunday one of its marines on the front line sustained serious injuries to his right leg from stepping on a land mine.

The navy also claimed to have discovered a large number of abandoned weapons and explosive ordnance while securing an area described as a Cambodian stronghold, which showed “deliberate planning and intentional use of anti-personnel landmines” against Thai troops.

The Thai Foreign Ministry said it would send letters of protest to Cambodia and Zambia, the current chair of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, also known as the Ottawa Convention, to pursue further action under the convention’s mechanisms.

Cambodia did not immediately respond to the Thai claims.

Village security volunteer patrol while Thai military fires artillery towards Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Surin province, Thailand. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Thai resident cooks in a shelter while Thai military fires artillery towards Cambodia, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Surin province, Thailand. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

FILE - Thailand Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 27, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)

FILE - Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn is seen during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, July 10, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP, File)