"No Lord please! Not like this": Penny Hardaway reacts to Memphis Tigers star's "deja-vu" injury scare vs Tulsa

Penny Hardaway heaved a sigh of relief after Moussa Cisse avoided serious injury in the Memphis Tigers' 83-71 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at FedExForum on Wednesday night.

Cisse went down awkwardly after blocking Isaiah Barnes' shot attempt with 15:36 remaining in the second half. He failed to get up as the Tigers completed the defensive stop. Referees were forced to stop play when the Golden Hurricane regained possession as Cisse remained under Tulsa's basket following the injury.

The Memphis center was visibly in pain as he held his left knee. He was helped off the court and went straight into the Tigers' locker room. There was some good news, though, as Cisse returned to the game with 1:55 left in regulation.

A reporter asked Hardaway about Cisse's injury in the postgame press conference. The Memphis coach was glad his big man was okay and that he avoided a similar fate to Caleb Mills, who injured his left knee also at Tulsa last season.

"Yeah, thank God because I didn’t want anything major to happen, man. It’s just déjà vu against Tulsa. That was like, no Lord please! Not like this," Hardaway said (Timestamp 2:02).

The reporter then asked Penny Hardaway if he had any flashbacks to Mills' injury when Cisse went down.

"I mean honestly it was Tulsa. That would be incredible but thank God he’s okay," Hardaway added.

Moussa Cisse finished the game with six points on 2-for-2 shooting. He also recorded two rebounds, one steal and one block in 12 minutes of action.

PJ Haggerty and Dain Dainja deliver for Penny Hardaway in Memphis' win over Tulsa

Penny Hardaway and the No. 17 Memphis Tigers extended their winning streak to six games with their victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Three players scored in double figures for the Tigers, who improved their overall record to 19-4.

Memphis' PJ Haggerty (4) shoots the ball during the game against Tulsa at FedExForum on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Photo: Imagn

PJ Haggerty led all scorers with 23 points. He shot 10-of-16 from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. He also had three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Haggerty was a workhorse for Hardaway, playing a game-high 33 minutes against Tulsa.

Dain Dainja also delivered for Memphis, scoring 21 points on 10-for-14 shooting. He also had six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Dainja was a menace on the defensive end, recording four blocks and three steals. Tyrese Hunter added 11 points for the Tigers, who improved to 9-1 in conference play.