Klay Thompson rips Ja Morant after post-game altercation

Star level guard Ja Morant missed his third straight recreation on Saturday on account of a calf pressure, however he was on the heart of a post-game incident in Dallas after his Grizzlies beat the Mavericks. As Tim MacMahon writes for ESPN.com, Morant and Mavs wing Klay Thompson exchanged phrases on the courtroom following the ultimate buzzer and needed to be separated by safety employees members and coaches (Twitter video link).

After seemingly directing some trash discuss Thompson’s manner throughout that confrontation, Morant interrupted teammate Cam Spencer‘s post-game tv interview to say, “Inform ’em who the most effective shooter in the home was, it wasn’t bro from Golden State” (Twitter video link).

Requested throughout his post-game media session about what Morant was saying to him on the courtroom, Thompson stated it was “nothing of clever depth,” per MacMahon.

“He’s a humorous man,” Thompson stated. “He has quite a bit to say on a regular basis, particularly for a man who not often takes accountability. …It was actually simply operating his mouth, and he’s been operating his mouth for a very long time. It’s humorous to run your mouth once you’re on the bench. It’s form of the story of his profession to this point, simply leaving us wanting extra.”

Each Morant and Thompson are having the worst years of their skilled careers to this point in 2025-26. The Grizzlies guard is averaging 17.9 factors and a career-high 3.8 turnovers per recreation whereas capturing 35.9 p.c from the ground and 16.7 p.c on three-pointers. Thompson has put up 10.1 PPG on 34.7 p.c capturing (32.1 p.c from past the arc).

Thompson, who will flip 36 later within the season, has a Corridor of Fame resume however has seen his numbers decline lately. Morant, 26, must be in his prime, however has been suffering from accidents over the previous couple seasons. He additionally had his profession derailed by off-court incidents, together with a pair of prolonged suspensions that stemmed from brandishing a firearm in movies on social media. Thompson didn’t immediately reference that off-court habits on Saturday, however he alluded to it.

“All of us wish to see him on the market and do his finest, however he’s simply been letting loads of different stuff get in the way in which of that,” Thompson stated of Morant. “We want that within the NBA. We want our greatest gamers to be on the market, and once you’re a star, it comes with an excellent duty. I hate to see that go to waste.”

Thompson’s Warriors had some memorable video games towards the Grizzlies over time, eliminating Memphis from the playoffs in each 2015 and 2022. The veteran sharpshooter spoke with extra fondness of these matchups that occurred earlier in his profession than those from the previous few seasons.

“I do even have loads of respect for the Grind Home,” Thompson stated, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. “Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol. That was a tough crew to beat. This new crew, although? They only discuss quite a bit. They’ve at all times talked quite a bit. They’ve by no means actually backed it up, both. I don’t actually respect that. I respect guys who again up the discuss with play. As a result of discuss is reasonable. I do know that higher than anyone. I’ve been on this league a very long time.”