Ja Morant starts for Grizzlies vs. Magic in London on return from calf injury

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

“We’ll try to maximize his minutes and try to do it in a smart way," Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said at a pregame news conference at London's O2 Arena.

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.

Iisalo said the medical update he received about the two-time All Star was positive a day after Morant practiced with the team.

“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," Iisalo said of his expectations for Morant.

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