Brandon Clarke dropped a career-high 27 points in Grizzlies’ collapse

Clarke became just the fourth rookie in NBA history to record at least 27 points and seven offensive rebounds off of the bench.

Lost in the shuffle of a monumental collapse by the Memphis Grizzlies was a career performance by Brandon Clarke as the first-round pick tallied 27 points and seven rebounds.

Clarke finished by shooting 13-of-19 from the field while his seven rebounds were all on the offensive end of the floor. He became just the fourth rookie in history to record at least 27 points and seven offensive rebounds off of the bench, according to Grizzlies PR.

The Grizzlies led the Oklahoma City Thunder by as many as 24 points in the third quarter on Wednesday but, for the second time this week, the Thunder clawed back into the game to pull off the comeback win. On Monday, the Thunder won after trailing by 26 points against the Chicago Bulls.

They became the first team over the last 20 years to overcome back-to-back 24-point deficits.

Despite the loss, the performance by Clarke continued what has been a strong rookie campaign. His 70.1% true shooting percentage ranks third in the NBA among all players and he is converting on 64.9% of his shots from the field, including 46.4% from 3-point range.

With such a young roster, blowing double-digit leads has become something of a regular occurrence in recent years as the Grizzlies nearly lost on Monday after leading the Heat by 17 points. The team is still learning how to play in these situations but they have proven to have a bright future ahead.

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