Grizzlies coach: Morant 'trending to be in' vs. Magic in London

LONDON (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was "trending" to play Sunday against the Orlando Magic and would be on a minutes restriction after a six-game absence because of a right calf injury.

Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said at a pregame news conference that the medical update he's received about the two-time All Star was positive.

"Everything that's been told to me is that he's good to go," Iisalo said.

Morant missed the first of the two-game NBA Europe series when the Magic beat the Grizzlies 118-111 in the league's first regular-season game in Germany.

The teams square off Sunday at London's O2 Arena.

"He's trending to be in — in the game," Iisalo said. "Obviously he has to go though his shootaround slot. We've discussed this several times this season, when you miss a bunch of games, it's not so easy to (go) right away into big minutes.

"We'll try to maximize his minutes and try to do it in a smart way."

Iisalo was asked if he would use Morant off the bench: "No."

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