Is Ja Morant playing tonight against the LA Lakers? Latest on Memphis Grizzlies star's status (Jan. 5)

Ja Morant is not on the Memphis Grizzlies' injury list and should be good to go in the marque matchup versus the LA Lakers tonight.

Morant brought the spark, but the Memphis Grizzlies fell short 116-111 to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. In 35 minutes, Morant finished with 28 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and a steal, narrowly missing out on a first triple-double since returning from a 25-game suspension.

It might have been Morant's most complete performance yet. Missing just one assist and two rebounds for a triple-double, he injected much-needed energy on both ends.

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What happened to Ja Morant?

Due to actions that were damaging to the league, Ja Morant, the standout player for the Memphis Grizzlies, was suspended for the first 25 games of the season.

After showing a gun in a Denver nightclub on an Instagram Live video, Morant was suspended for eight games in March. Morant checked himself into a Florida counselling centre in the days that followed.

The two-time All-Star was captured on camera posing with a gun and rapping with his friend in a car two months later. Morant was suspended for 25 games by the NBA and also by the Grizzlies from all team activities.

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Ja Morant's stats vs LA Lakers

Ja Morant's career stats versus the LA Lakers are 27 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

In his last game against the Lakers, he had 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Grizzlies won. He shot lights-out, hitting half his field goals (50.0%), including a respectable 40.0% from downtown and a solid 75.0% from the charity stripe.

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Ja Morant has sizzled for the Memphis Grizzlies since his return

Since his comeback, Ja Morant has had a big influence and helped the Memphis Grizzlies. His recent performances have been outstanding; he has made significant contributions to gameplay overall, assists, and scoring.

Morant had a great performance in his delayed season debut, tallying 34 points, snatching six rebounds, and dishing out eight assists, which included his first-ever game-winning buzzer-beater.

The Grizzlies are 5-3 with Ja and are .500 without him.