Overview
- Memphis fell 124-109 to Houston as Morant shot 6-for-19 with six turnovers and had minimal interaction with first-year coach Tuomas Iisalo, with reporters describing a visibly tense bench scene.
- The loss marked a fourth straight defeat for the 3-6 Grizzlies, whose players and coach cited spacing and stagnant offense while noting possible rotation tweaks to address fit around Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
- Days earlier, the team suspended Morant one game for conduct detrimental to the team following a postgame exchange with Iisalo; after returning, Morant said he needs to be better with shot selection and ball care.
- Betting markets now list the Kings as the favorite to land Morant if he’s dealt, with the Heat also mentioned, though proposed packages remain speculative and no formal talks were reported.
- Despite outside expectations, The Athletic reported the Rockets are unlikely to pursue Morant even after Fred VanVleet’s injury, and league chatter included Robert Horry’s criticism of publicly calling out a star player.