- - Ja Morant starts for Grizzlies vs. Magic in London on return from calf injury

January 18, 2026 at 9:18 PM

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1 / 276ers Grizzlies BasketballMemphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) handles the ball as Head Coach Tuomas Iisalo looks on from the sideline in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

LONDON (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant started against the Orlando Magic on Sunday and was on a minutes restriction after a six-game absence because of a right calf injury.

“We’ll try to maximize his minutes and try to do it in a smart way," Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said at a pregame news conference at London's O2 Arena.

Morant missed the first of the two-game NBA Europe series when the Magic beat the Grizzlies 118-111 in the league’s first regular-season game in Germany.

Iisalo said the medical update he received about the two-time All Star was positive a day after Morant practiced with the team.

“We’ve discussed this several times this season, when you miss a bunch of games, it’s not so easy to (go) right away into big minutes," Iisalo said of his expectations for Morant.

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Source: “AOL Sports”