Ja Morant has apparent ankle injury in Memphis Grizzlies' preseason game vs Mavericks

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant exited the team's first preseason game Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center after suffering an apparent ankle injury.

Morant's first absence was brief. He returned late in the second quarter after missing six minutes of game action. He then limped off again early in the third quarter, putting an end to his night.

Morant first hurt his ankle early in the second quarter. While getting back on defense, Mavs wing Naji Marshall attempted a bounce pass that hit Morant's ankle. That led to the Grizzlies' All-Star turning his ankle. He hobbled off the floor and quickly asked for a substitute with 8:53 left in the second.

It was somewhat surprising that he returned later in the quarter of a preseason game — with the regular-season opener two weeks away — but he didn't looked limited. He scored seven points in a four-minute stretch before leaving the game for good early in the third quarter after a two-handed dunk.

While limping, Morant fouled a Mavs player and asked to come out of the game.

Memphis often takes the cautionary approach with injuries. Considering that Morant returned in the second quarter, it was a positive sign, but that decision backfired when the point guard left the game again.

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com . Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant has apparent ankle injury in Memphis Grizzlies' preseason game vs Mavericks