Morant injured as Grizzlies defeat shorthanded Nets in OT
Kyle Anderson #1 of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates with Dillon Brooks #24 against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on December 28, 2020 in New York City. Mike Stobe/Getty Images/AFP
Brandon Clarke converted the go-ahead tip-in with 38.6 seconds remaining in overtime and the visiting Memphis Grizzlies outlasted the short-handed Brooklyn Nets for a 116-111 victory on Monday night.
Neither team shot well in overtime, but Clarke gave Memphis the lead for good at 112-111 when he rebounded a missed layup by Dillon Brooks and easily converted the putback. Clarke’s go-ahead basket occurred after Caris LeVert hit a 3-pointer with 76 seconds left to give Brooklyn a 111-110 edge.
The Nets missed a chance at regaining the lead when DeAndre Jordan was called for offensive goaltending with 30.8 seconds remaining and Memphis took a 113-111 lead when Grayson Allen split a pair at the line with 8.1 seconds left.
After Brooklyn called its final timeout, Joe Harris saw his 3-point try hit the front of the rim with 5.6 seconds remaining and Kyle Anderson capped a career-high 28-point night by hitting three free throws in the final 3.9 seconds.
Clarke’s clutch shot and Anderson’s big night came on a night when Ja Morant sprained his left ankle late in the second quarter. Morant scored seven points before getting hurt and watched his teammates from the bench while wearing a walking boot.
Brooks added 24 points and seven rebounds as he and Anderson were a combined 18 of 36 from the floor. Clarke finished with 16 points while Jonas Valanciunas collected 14 and 14 rebounds as the Grizzlies shot 42.9 percent.
The Nets rested stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant for the first time after the duo became the first in franchise history to score at least 20 points in each of the first three games. Brooklyn also played after losing Spencer Dinwiddie to a season-ending knee injury sustained Sunday in Charlotte.
LeVert led the Nets with 28 points and 11 assists but missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining in overtime. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added 19 of his 21 points in the first half as Brooklyn dropped its second straight after blowout wins over Golden State and Boston.
Harris and Chris Chiozza contributed 14 points apiece as Brooklyn shot 41 percent and overcame a 12-point deficit in the first half.
Memphis held a 96-92 lead on a 15-footer by Brooks with 7:46 remaining but Brooklyn regained the lead when Jordan’s putback made it 99-98 with 4:52 left. The lead changed hands six more times and the game was tied at 106-106 following two free throws by Valanciunas with 54.3 seconds left.
