NEW ORLEANS – Ja Morant stood at the end of the Memphis bench, cheering on his teammates but keeping his right arm hanging under his injured shoulder as the Grizzlies cruised to a 132-124 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

Morant was injured when he crashed into a hard but legal screen set by Daniel Theis in the third quarter. The collision caused Morant to fall to the ground, leading to the officials initially blowing the whistle on Theis for a foul before overturning that decision when reviewing the replay.

Morant went to the locker room for an examination and eventually returned to the bench, but not to the game. He used his left arm to point triumphantly at his teammates after they landed shots in the final minutes.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins had “no update” on Morant’s condition after the game. Just under a year ago, Morant’s 2023-24 season was ended by a torn labrum in the same shoulder.

“Obviously he took a nice shot in the shoulder there, but we’ll have a more detailed assessment in the next few days,” Jenkins said, before praising the “great determination” his team showed to challenge the Pelicans to stave off Morant’s departure.

“Losing someone like that is never easy,” Memphis guard Desmond Bane said. “But we kept our composure and were able to make plays on the home stretch.”

The Grizzlies should be notified by Saturday of any injured players who will play at Western Conference leader Oklahoma City on Sunday night.

Morant was able to dress himself at his locker after the game in New Orleans. He appeared to be in good spirits and was not wearing a sling. However, he continued to keep his right arm largely still and hanging at his side.

The 25-year-old Morant has averaged 21 points this season — slightly below his career average of 22.4.

Earlier this season, Morant missed eight games due to a posterior hip subluxation and multiple Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains. The Grizzlies (22-10) took a 5-3 lead in that period.

Morant scored 25 points in New Orleans but had just one point before his injury in the second half. Still, the Grizzlies surpassed the 130-point threshold after scoring a franchise-record 155 points in a win over Toronto one night.

The Grizzlies’ current offensive flow is “balanced, it’s together, it’s fast – all those things,” Bane said.