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Two NBA stars had words with each other during their game on Saturday night.
The incident involved Dallas Mavericks sharpshooter Klay Thompson and Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. The former Murray State standout confronted Thompson after Memphis sealed the 102-96 victory. Morant didn’t play in the game because of a calf strain.
The two players’ rivalry dates back to the 2022 NBA Playoffs as Thompson, who was on the Golden State Warriors, helped eliminate the Grizzlies from the postseason. While the situation on Saturday night didn’t escalate on the court, pot shots were taken from behind media microphones.
Grizzlies guard Cam Spencer was speaking with the TV broadcast after the game when Morant came over and made more comments.
“Tell him who the best shooter in the house was,” Morant said, via ESPN. “It wasn’t bro from Golden State.”
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Thompson didn’t mince words when he was asked about the interaction with Morant. He said Morant was a “funny guy” who “rarely takes accountability” for his actions.
“Nothing of intelligent depth. It was really just him running his mouth. And he’s been running his mouth for a long time,” Thompson said. “It’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench. That’s kind of the story of his career so far — just leaving us wanting more.
“We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he’s just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way of that. And we need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there, and when you’re a star it comes with great responsibility, and I hate to see that go to waste.”
Morant has faced suspensions in the last three seasons for several different issues.
Thompson scored 22 points off the bench. He did have a separate incident with Grizzlies player Vince Williams Jr. in the fourth quarter, which resulted in double technical fouls.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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