Scotty Pippen Jr. makes his feelings known about Memphis' offense falling flat after Ja Morant's injury

Scotty Pippen Jr. shared his honest reaction to the Memphis Grizzlies' struggles on offense in Game 3 after Ja Morant exited due to injury. Morant suffered a hip injury late in the second quarter after a hard fall, with Pippen picking up the slack in the second half.

However, Pippen's effort was not enough to prevent the Grizzlies from blowing a 29-point lead against the OKC Thunder. The hosts were unable to hold the fort as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to an incredible 114-108 comeback win to take a 3-0 series lead in the 2025 NBA playoffs.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the third-year guard made his feelings known about the team's offense falling flat in the second half. They were outscored 63-31 in the final 24 minutes.

"They obviously turned up their physicality," Pippen said. "They started pressuring us a lot more, and we lost the ball handler at the end of the day. I feel like that allowed them to pressure us, try to wear us out throughout the game in the second half. We just got to be ready for that.

"I feel like it was kind of hard when Ja (Morant) went out, just losing a ball handler."

From 0:16 onward:

Scotty Pippen Jr. was the lone bright spot for the Memphis Grizzlies, finishing with 28 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. The Grizzlies struggled to keep the lead in the second half, not because of their defense, but they couldn't generate consistent offense.

Ja Morant's absence was crucial in the OKC Thunder's victory, since he was the motor that kept the Grizzlies running. Morant suffered a hip injury after getting taken out in the air by Lu Dort during a fast break. He's the second player to get undercut by a player, with Jimmy Butler suffering the same fate on Wednesday.

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Scotty Pippen Jr. found his home in Memphis

Scotty Pippen Jr. found his home in Memphis. (Photo: IMAGN)

There's a lot of pressure being the son of the legendary Scottie Pippen. It looked bleak for Scotty Pippen Jr. when he went undrafted in 2022. He ended up signing a two-way contract with the LA Lakers and played six games for them as a rookie.

After spending time in the NBA G League, Scotty joined the Memphis Grizzlies in the middle of the 2023-24 season. He showed glimpses of his potential in the Grizzlies' lost campaign due to injuries, averaging 12.9 points per game.

The hard work and performances paid off as Memphis signed him to a four-year, $9,608,931 contract last October. He earned the deal, as well as the backup point guard role behind Ja Morant.