The day ended with a text. A text and a call. From Ja Morant.

This was after the Grizzlies got the devastating news that Steven Adams would be out at least another four weeks.

This was after the basketball universe chortled at the way Draymond Green had dismembered Dillon Brooks on his podcast.

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This was after Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins politely but firmly avoided setting a timetable for Morant’s return.

This was after the TNT crew arrived to shine a national spotlight on the entire mess.

This was after the Warriors took the court at FedExForum for the first time since they evicted the Grizzlies from the playoffs last year.

This was after Grizzlies responded the way the Grizzlies so often have, by banding together for a rousing 131-110 win.

Then came the text. The text and the call from Morant.

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“He called us after the game, congratulating us,” Brooks said. “He called Jaren. He messaged the group chat, ‘Great win, that’s the way to hoop.’

“Even though he’s not with us, he’s still with us — always. This is his team. ... He’s still with us every single game, every single day.”

So all’s well that ends well?

Nah.

It’s far too early to say that.

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But after 24 hours of more bad news, after a week of truly calamitous news, it was a hopeful way for the day to end. 

With a game that reminded Memphians that this team is not the dysfunctional disaster that so many outside of the city would have you believe.

And with a text and a phone call to confirm that Morant — wherever he may be — is still an integral part of it all.

“He told us, ‘Good win, he misses us,’ ” said Desmond Bane. “Of course, we miss him, too.”

Which was the theme of the evening, at least until the game started.

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Everyone seemed to be missing Morant.

Earnest and Chani Dixon had driven all the way from Michigan to see Morant play. They purchased their tickets months ago.

So what did they do when they learned Morant’s transgressions would cause him to miss the game?

They fashioned a big sign that said, “Pray for 12” and “Judge Yourself.”

“He’s 23 years old,” said Earnest Dixon. “People screw up.”

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The Hemmer family bought themselves tickets to this game as a Christmas present. They drove down from Illinois. Jared Hemmer, the father, went to Murray State. He was joined by his wife, daughter and son.

“We’re all disappointed, of course,” he said. “But I’m a high school teacher. I know all about making mistakes.”

It was striking, talking to dozens of fans about Morant. Nearly everyone said the same thing. Morant did a stupid thing. No getting around it. It was a really stupid thing. But now we wish him the best. 

Noah Pack, 10, held up a big two-sided sign that he made earlier in the week.

One side said: “My first NBA game.”

Calkins: Morant is sorry? That’s a good start.

The other said: “Why Ja why?”

Pack, from middle Tennessee, had been given tickets to the game as a Valentine’s Day present.

“He was heartbroken when he found out Ja wasn’t going to play,” said Malia Pack, Noah’s mom.

“But I still love him!” said Noah.

Of course he does.

Calkins: It’s time to put down the gun, Ja. And to put down the act.

And whenever Morant returns to the Grizzlies, he will feel this love — a community outpouring of love — the moment he steps on the court. 

But in the meantime, there was a game to play. Against Draymond Green and the Warriors. After Green had picked this moment to drop a new episode of his podcast eviscerating Dillon Brooks.

It really was a devastating take-down. Brooks — who isn’t active on social media — said his teammates showed it to him earlier in the day.

So deep in the first half, Brooks went right at Green, scored over him and then jammed his face hard against Green’s face.

“I kind of wanted that play,” Brooks said. “Just to see what he was going to say. But he took the media approach with that. Didn’t say nothing, which was cool. I was expected him to talk more. But I guess he needs to get all his facts together and talk.”

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OK, but was it satisfying to beat the Warriors?

“Not yet,” Brooks said.

Not yet?

“We want to see them in the playoffs,” he said. “Get our get-back. But we’ll see how the season transpires.”

It is an entirely foreseeable matchup, the way things are going. The Grizzlies could very well slip to the No. 4 seed in the West and host a first-round series against the Warriors at No. 5.

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But no matter who the Grizzlies play in the postseason, no matter how the rest of the season unfurls, there is only one way for the team to get to the other side of the current crisis. And that way is to do what they did Thursday night: Stick together, focus on the matter at hand and (this is an important part of the solution) win.

It has never been true that the rest of the league hates the Grizzlies. That was a silly thing the players once said. But right now? Does it feel like the rest of the basketball universe is piling on the Grizzlies?

Yes, it certainly does.

They’re criticizing Morant and they’re criticizing the organization and they’re wondering aloud about the city where the Grizzlies play.

ESPN’s Kendric Perkins decided to blame Bane and Jaren Jackson, Jr., for Morant’s misdeeds, for some unknown reason. Green called Brooks “a clown.”

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The criticism of Morant is justifiable, of course. The hope — the fervent hope — is that he takes it to heart.

But the only way to change the narrative is to focus on basketball and resume stacking wins.

That’s what Green ultimately has on his side, of course. The guy has four championship rings. So it doesn’t matter that he has a history of cheap shots or that he once decked his own teammate with a brutal punch. He points to the rings. And his jokes seem funnier than they are.

So Thursday was a small step in the right direction for the Grizzlies. It was a reminder that this team is not the chaotic disaster that some outsiders would have you believe.

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“I mean, everybody is trying to make up their own stories and own narratives and paint a picture on the Grizzlies right now,” Bane said. “I’m in the locker room with all these guys every day, I know what type of guys we have in this locker room.”

As for Brooks?

“I thought DB handled it appropriately,” Bane said. “Went out there and played basketball— and won a game.”