Memphis Grizzlies forward Yuta Watanabe scored an NBA career-high 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in a 117-95 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

The 24-year-old rookie from Japan shot three of eight from the field and sank all four of his free-throw attempts in 27 minutes off the bench, also a career high.


(Yuta Watanabe #12)
[NBAE/Getty/Kyodo]

All-Star forward Paul George led the Thunder to victory with 27 points, while 19-year-old rookie Jaren Jackson matched him with 27 for the Grizzlies, who were playing their first game since trading star center Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors.

By trading away their franchise big man, Memphis have embarked on a rebuilding phase that could yield a bigger role for Watanabe, who splits his time between the Grizzlies and the minor-league Memphis Hustle on a two-way contract.

Watanabe said he needed to improve his shooting after missing opportunities in the second half of the road loss.

"You can't miss shots in important moments," said Watanabe, who praised the leadership of the departed Gasol.

"His professional attitude was a great example."

The Grizzlies, currently second-last in the NBA Western Conference, are likely to be a strong contender for the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery in May.

Watanabe, a Kagawa Prefecture native, extended his record number of NBA games by a Japanese player to 10. He is just the second Japanese player to appear in the world's premier basketball league since namesake Yuta Tabuse debuted 15 years ago.