Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant injures left knee in 1st, doesn't return

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant suffered a left knee injury that caused him to exit in the first quarter of Friday night's 132-100 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Morant was hurt while dribbling the ball toward the paint, although there was no contact that appeared to cause the injury. He began to limp, passed the ball and then hobbled off the floor in the middle of the play.

After briefly being attended to in front of the Grizzlies' bench, Morant was helped to the locker room, putting no pressure on his left leg. Minutes later, the Grizzlies announced that he was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

After the loss, Morant posted a statement on social media that read: "It's in God's hands now. All we can do is pray."

Morant, 22, has established himself as one of the NBA's premier young stars. He seemed to be on the path to his first All-Star appearance this season, averaging a career-best 25.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game entering Friday night.