HOUSTON — When Brandon Clarke felt the first pop in his leg, he tried to play through it Monday against the Clippers. When he heard a second pop, he knew the injury was more serious.

“I knew I had probably strained the muscle or something,” Clarke said at the Grizzlies' shootaround Wednesday ahead of the game against the Rockets. “It was disappointing, really. I knew my team needed me because obviously Jaren’s (Jackson Jr.) down.”

Clarke, a rookie forward, was diagnosed with a right quadriceps injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. But as he described the injury, there was a sense it seemed worse than that of Jackson, who suffered a sprained left knee Friday against the Lakers.

Neither player has a timetable for his return except for the two-week evaluation period announced by the team. But as Clarke sat next to Grayson Allen, who is out indefinitely with a hip injury, it underscored how injuries affected this promising season

February began with just Allen on the injury report, but he’s since been joined by Jackson, Clarke and Justise Winslow, who has not played since Jan. 8 with a back injury. The only game that Clarke and Jackson both missed this season was on Jan. 31 against the Pelicans when Jackson served a one-game suspension and Clarke was out with a hip injury.

“There’s no magic recipe. We’ve got to roll with the guys we got, the depth that we’ve always trusted all season long,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “It really starts with just focus on our habits. No matter who’s out there, we got to play at a higher level. We got to play better.”

The injuries will force Jenkins to play lineups he’s barely used this season. The Grizzlies have played only 88 lineups on the floor that didn’t include Clarke or Jackson. But most of those 88 featured either Jae Crowder or Solomon Hill, who were traded to the Heat earlier this month.

Josh Jackson was the likely candidate to start Wednesday’s game against the Rockets although Jenkins said he wouldn't announce a final decision until closer to tipoff.

Clarke, meanwhile, only could look forward to resuming his season after the first major injury of his career.

“It’s tough not being able to play with the guys,” Clarke said. “Obviously, I’m sad not to be able to have that fun for a while. I’ve been having a good season, so it’s a little bit upsetting, but that’ll just make the comeback even better.”

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