NBA: Morant likely to be game-time decision for Grizzlies

LOS ANGELES — Memphis guard Ja Morant has bruised his already-injured right hand and his status for Wednesday's NBA playoff contest will be a "game-time decision," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Tuesday.

An MRI exam showed the soft-tissue injury was aggravated by Morant late in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies' 128-112 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Sunday's opener of their first-round best-of-seven series.

"Symptoms are slightly improving from the other night," Jenkins said. "He's going to be a game-time decision."

Morant, whose hand was already taped after being injured the week before, leaped into the air driving to the basket against Lakers big man Anthony Davis and after their collision fell awkwardly, injuring his hand.

Morant rose, grabbed his hand and ran off the court to the locker room.

Morant dribbled and took some shots with his right hand during a Tuesday workout, but the practice offered no clear answers on Morant's availability for the rematch with the Lakers.

"He's progressing," Jenkins said. "He is dribbling and shooting as much as he can.

"He has got some pain he's dealing with, so it's kind of a tolerance thing. He has got some stiffness in his hand that he's kind of slowly getting through."

Morant said after the game that his ability to play in game two was "in jeopardy" with Jenkins saying x-rays were negative but Morant was in pain.

Morant scored 18 points against the Lakers before his early exit.

Agence France-Presse

Draymond Green gets one-game NBA ban for accumulated technical fouls

NEW YORK, United States - Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended one game without pay by the NBA on Thursday after being whistled for his 16th technical foul of the season.

Green, a four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, received his most recent technical foul with 40 seconds remaining in the second quarter of Golden State's 134-126 road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Under NBA rules, a player or coach who receives a 16th technical foul during the regular season is automatically banned for one game.

For every two additional technical fouls received the remainder of the season, Green faces being suspended for another game.

Green, a 33-year-old American known for physical play and an outspoken manner on and off the court, will serve his ban on Friday when the defending NBA champion Warriors visit Atlanta.

In his 11th NBA season, all spent with Golden State, Green is averaging 8.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per contest.

The Warriors are 36-34 this season to rank sixth in the Western Conference.

Agence France-Presse

Popovich sets coaching wins record, as Spurs clip Jazz

Gregg Popovich became the NBA's all-time leader in regular-season coaching wins after his San Antonio Spurs rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the visiting Utah Jazz 104-102 on Friday.

The victory lifted Popovich to 1,336 wins, breaking a tie with Don Nelson. Popovich, in his 26th NBA season, all with the Spurs, tied the record on March 7 via a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, but lost their next game.

The Spurs trailed by 10 entering the 4th quarter and by 15 with 10:02 left in the game, but they rallied and were up 98-95 after Jakob Poeltl made a floater with 31.3 seconds remaining. Utah's Donovan Mitchell canned a jumper with 17.6 seconds left to cut the lead to a point.

Josh Richardson then made 1 free throw with 14.2 seconds to play but missed the 2nd. The Spurs' Keldon Johnson swooped in for the offensive rebound, was fouled, and made both of the free throws with 12.5 seconds remaining to make it a 4-point game.Mitchell's bucket with 5.9 seconds to play cut the lead back to 2, before Dejounte Murray made a pair of free throws with 4.8 seconds left.

Utah's Rudy Gay hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left, but Murray added another free throw and the Jazz could not get off another shot.

San Antonio had been 0 for 33 in games it was trailing entering the fourth quarter.

Murray led the Spurs with 27 points, with Poeltl adding 15 points and 11 rebounds. Zach Collins also scored 15 points, Johnson finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Richardson and Lonnie Walker IV scored 11 points each.

Mitchell scored 24 points to lead the Jazz. Jordan Clarkson had 17, and Rudy Gobert (13 points, 16 rebounds) and Hassan Whiteside (13 points and 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for Utah.

Mitchell scored 10 points in a stretch of the second period when the Jazz turned a two-point deficit into a 57-45 lead with 2:22 to play in the half.

Utah took a 59-50 advantage into the break behind Mitchell's 18 points in the first half. The Jazz hit 9 of its 22 shots from beyond the arc in the half, with Mitchell making 4 of 8.

Collins paced the Spurs with 13 points in the half and Murray added 12. San Antonio shot only 39.5 percent in the half.

-reuters