Grizzlies' Ja Morant leaves court in wheelchair with sprained left ankle against Nets

The Memphis Grizzlies are used to Ja Morant leaping to great heights on dunks. But one leap by Morant on Monday had the team and a city holding their breath.

Morant went for a block but came down on the foot of Brooklyn Nets guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot with 2:43 left in the second quarter. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year hopped off the court before crumpling to the floor with a sprained left ankle.

He was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair and returned as a spectator to start the fourth quarter while wearing a boot. But as he's done in two seasons, his presence added a lift from the bench.

The Grizzlies rallied for a 116-111 overtime win at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. More good news came earlier in the fourth when team broadcaster Pete Pranica reported that X-rays on Morant's ankle were negative and an MRI is set for Tuesday.

"He's going to bounce back and be fine. We'll have more updates as we get going through but so far so good," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.

With Morant out, Kyle Anderson led the scoring load with a career-high 28 points. He finished the game with three free throws in the final four seconds.

Morant, who played just 12 minutes, cheered on the finish while standing on the sidelines. It was as encouraging as Anderson making a career-high four 3-pointers or Brandon Clarke finding his rhythm with 16 points off the bench.

"That was probably a choice by him to give us confidence to hold on and win out," said Dillon Brooks, who had 24 points.

"Ja came back and brought a bunch of energy to the bench which really, really helped us," Clarke added. "Ja's a guy that just wants to win even if he's not playing, he can still find ways to help us win."

Clarke put the Grizzlies up 112-111 on a putback with 38.6 seconds left. After Grayson Allen made one of two free throws, Anderson put the game away at the foul line following a missed 3-pointer by the Nets' Joe Harris.

Jenkins called it an "unbelievable display of resilience," but with Morant expected to miss some time, the Grizzlies will need more of it. He averaged 36 points in the first two games and helped carry Memphis despite two losses to start the season.

The Grizzlies returned the favor Monday in Moran'ts absence. Now they wait to see how long they'll have to do it without him.