Knee injuries put Grizzlies' Kennard out at least 2 weeks, Tillman week to week

Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard, front left, and other players from the Memphis bench, celebrate after a play during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard will miss a minimum of two weeks recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee and forward Xavier Tillman Sr. now is considered week to week recovering from his own injured left knee.

The Grizzlies provided the update Monday. Kennard played only six minutes Nov. 14 in a loss in Los Angeles to the Lakers and had missed the past two games. Memphis said Kennard, acquired at the trade deadline last season, will be reevaluated in two weeks.

Tillman has been Memphis' fifth-leading scorer averaging 9.3 points and second with 6.7 rebounds a game. He also was hurt in that same loss to the Lakers, playing 22 minutes before leaving the game.

Memphis already has two-time All-Star guard Ja Morant suspended for the first 25 games this season, and center Steven Adams was ruled out before the season started due to needing surgery for a knee first hurt last January. Brandon Clarke is busy recovering from a left Achilles tendon torn last March.

The Grizzlies announced Nov. 17 that guard Marcus Smart will miss three to five weeks with a sprained left foot, adding to their lengthy injury list. The 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, acquired via a trade this offseason, played all of eight minutes before he hurt his foot in that same loss to the Lakers.

The Grizzlies (3-10) visit Houston on Wednesday and went into Monday night's games tied with Portland and San Antonio at the bottom of the Western Conference. ___

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