MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke tore his left Achilles tendon and will miss the remainder of the season.
Clarke was injured in the first quarter of the Grizzlies’ 113-97 loss to the Nuggets, a showdown of the top two teams in the Western Conference.
Clarke missed a free throw and started limping as he went up the court and fell at half-court. He was helped to the locker room without putting weight on his left leg.
The 26-year-old is averaging 10.0 points in his fourth season with Memphis. The team said Clarke is expected to make a full recovery, AP reported.
His injury was announced the same day the NBA handed down a one-game suspension to fellow forward Dillon Brooks, who got his 16th technical foul of the season with 5:45 left in the game in Denver. Brooks earned a $5,000 fine and a one-game suspension.
Elsewhere, Mikal Bridges scored 38 points and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105.
Part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix, Bridges has reached 30 or more points in three of Brooklyn´s last six games. He also had 10 rebounds, playing nearly 43 minutes.
Fellow former Sun Cam Johnson added 20 points. Dorian Finney-Smith finished with 17.
It is the largest comeback by a Boston opponent since the Los Angeles Clippers also rallied from 28 down to beat Boston 123-112 at TD Garden on Feb. 9, 2019.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 35 points. Jayson Tatum, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, added 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant sees a loaded roster and all the possibilities that come with it for the Phoenix Suns.
It’s up to them to make it happen. And they’re off to a good start with their shiny new star.
Devin Booker scored 35 points and matched his career high with six 3s, Durant added 20 points in his second game with Phoenix and the Suns beat the Chicago Bulls 125-104.
Josh Okogie scored 25 points and made five 3-pointers, and the Suns improved to 2-0 with Durant in the lineup.
“We’ve got a lot of big names,” Durant said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have done so much in this league so far. But it’s about how we come together as a group.”
The Suns, fourth in the Western Conference, put themselves in position to finish the season on a strong note when they landed Durant from Brooklyn in a blockbuster trade three weeks ago.
Phoenix dominated the second half against Chicago, outscoring the Bulls by a combined 65-40 after trailing by four at the break. The Suns withstood big efforts by DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, and won for the eighth time in 11 games.
“We have (18) games left to find this chemistry and communication before playoffs start,” Booker said. “We’re trying to not take any day off. We’ve had extended practices every day, going over both sides of the ball and game plans and schemes – things that we’ve been doing for a few years here.”
