Kennard, Tillman add to Grizzlies' injury woes
Written by I Dig SportsMEMPHIS, Tenn. -- 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 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 is second with 6.7 rebounds a game. He 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 in January. Brandon Clarke is recovering from a left Achilles tendon torn in March.
The Grizzlies announced Friday 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.