Reports: NBA not taking action against Poole for Morant play originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The NBA will reportedly not take any action against Jordan Poole for the incident involving Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant near the end of the Warriors’ blowout win over the Grizzlies in Game 3 of the second round on Saturday.
Poole grabbed Morant’s knee while going for a loose ball midway through the fourth quarter. Morant left the game during a timeout and didn’t return, and Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said on Sunday that Morant will likely miss Game 4 on Monday.
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The league office determined that Poole’s reach was a “normal basketball play,” according to TNT’s Jared Greenberg. The Grizzlies had requested that the NBA review the play.
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The reported decision closes the case – on any official penalties, at least – on the play, which led to controversy after Morant tweeted (then deleted) that Poole had “broke the code.”
It was both a reference to Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s comments regarding Dillon Brooks’ hard foul that broke Gary Payton II’s elbow during Game 2 and an indication that Morant was questioning Poole’s intentions.
Related: Poole defends himself against insinuation he tried to hurt Ja
Jenkins also told reporters after the game that he was “very curious” to see what would happen, describing Poole’s actions as “[grabbing] his knee and [yanking] it.”
Apparently, the NBA has decided that nothing will happen. Though that will surely not stop the controversy and back-and-forth during what’s been a contentious, physical series.
