The Grizzlies' head coach, Taylor Jenkins, saw that Wang Yi wasn't on the court and felt a little baffled.
There hadn't been any word before the game that Wang Yi would be absent today.
Was the Kings up to some new trick again?
Still, if Wang Yi wasn't playing, that was good news for the Grizzlies.
So he reminded the Grizzlies players:
"Whatever's happened to Wang Yi, don't let it affect us. Once we're back out there, we need to hit them hard and do our best to put them away in just a quarter and a half, so they don't even have time to recover."
Morant nodded. "Don't worry, Coach."
The Grizzlies' other star was their center, Xiao Qiao.
After leaving the Kings, Xiao Qiao had spent four years elsewhere and now played for the Grizzlies.
He and Morant formed one of the most formidable inside-outside duos in the league this year.
And after several years of development, Xiao Qiao had clearly become a top-tier center.
His passing in particular was something most centers simply couldn't replicate.
At this point in the season, which was nearly halfway over, the Grizzlies ranked third in the Western Conference.
When Morant and the others took the court, they launched a fierce attack against the Kings.
Morant had always been a physical freak, and after ten years of experience in the league, his game had become more composed without losing any of his explosive athleticism.
His drives were even more dangerous.
Right from the start, he kept attacking the Kings' paint.
In just three minutes, he drew two fouls from Bond.
When the Kings tried to swarm Morant, Xiao Qiao stepped up.
First, he scored twice in a row with post moves under the basket. Then, he took the ball on the right