Brandon Clarke matched a career-high with 27 points off of the bench on Wednesday night to help lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 111-104 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Clarke finished by shooting 12-of-14 from the field while he added six rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block in 23 minutes of work as the Grizzlies will enter the All-Star break as winners of two straight games.
The 21st overall pick used his athleticism down low in the paint throughout the night from putback dunks to converting lobs from teammates. Clarke also put forth a strong defensive effort, which ultimately helped the Grizzlies win.
Clarke has been among the most efficient player in the NBA this season.
According to StatMuse, Clarke is on pace to have the best true shooting percentage (65) by a rookie in NBA history. Clarke is averaging 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while he is shooting 62.3% from the field this season, which ranks fifth in the NBA among all players.
While teammate Ja Morant has certainly headlined the rookie class this season, Clarke has been among the other top first-year players and could find himself on an NBA All-Rookie Team at the end of the season.
Clarke will participate in the NBA Rising Stars Game on Friday.
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