In an early Western Conference matchup, that could have post-season implications, Southwestern Division rival Houston fended off a Memphis comeback late in the game to throttle past the Grizzlies 119-115 at the FedEx Forum on Thursday, Jan. 9.
The Grizzlies record drops to 24-14, while the Rockets improve to 25-12 to take a 1½ game lead over third place Memphis in the standings. Oklahoma City leads the conference with a 30-6 record.
After falling behind by 12 points, on a Jalen Green three-point shot with 10:50 remaining in the game, Memphis rallied in the final minutes. Jaren Jackson found Luke Kennard for three-point shot that narrowed the Rockets lead 115-112. A pair of Ja Morant free-throws pulled the Grizzlies to within one point, 115-114.
Both teams remained scoreless until Fred Van Vleet sank a mid-range pull-up shot to put the Rockets up 117-114 with 1:05 on the clock. A three-point attempt by Grizzlies Guard Desmond Bane with 3.1 seconds remaining was waved off because of a Memphis timeout. It would have tied the score.
“My decision at the end of the game, my timeout,” accepted Grizzlies Coach Taylor Jenkins.
An earlier Bane three-point shot with 8:54 left in the third quarter gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the game, 74-72. Both teams traded scores until a technical foul against the Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson halted the run. After Fred Van Vleet converted the technical free throw, Jalen Green drove for a layup on the next possession to push the score to 83-79 with 6:48 left. Houston built further cushion in the quarter. A Morant layup with one second remaining narrowed the score to 101-92.
Houston led most of the way after pouring on 45 points in the first quarter to take a nine point lead going into the second frame. Their largest lead came at 6:25 in the third quarter, when former Memphis player Dillon Brooks sank a pull-up three point shot to push the lead to 59-44. The Houston forward is one of two former Memphis players who suited up against their former team. The other is Center Stephen Adams.
Brooks shot 2-15 for five points, while Adams grabbed nine rebounds off the bench.
“I couldn’t hit a shot, because I had too much emotion,” admitted Brooks.
The silver lining for Memphis in the loss was the return of Morant from the injury list. The point guard missed four games with a knee injury. Top reserve Santi Aldama also returned from a six game stint on the trainer’s table.
Marcus Smart, GG Jackson and Vince Williams continue to nurse wounds.
Morant led the Grizzlies with 27 points. Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. The power forward also racked up six blocks and two steals on the other end of the court. Bane scored 16 points, while Aldama notched 12 points and Luke Kennard kicked in 11 points from the bench.
“One of the main things that was coming up was how we could handle their physicality. I thought in stretches we did a great job. We adjusted to it. They are a good team. They made some big shots. It was definitely a learning experience,” complimented Kennard.
Rockets Center Alperin Sengun led all scorers with 32 points after hitting 12-20 from the field. The likely all-star also grabbed 14 rebounds and added five assists. At 21, Sengun is the youngest center to reach 500 assists in NBA history.
He was aided by Jalen Green’s 27 points. The second overall pick in the 2021 draft shot 11-21 for the night, including 4-8 from beyond the arc. Veteran point guard Fred Van Vleet added 22 points and four assists.
Memphis begins a four game road trip at Minnesota on Friday, Nov 10, followed by Houston and a two-game stop in San Antonio. The next home game will be on Monday, Jan. 20, when they host the Timberwolves at the FedEx Forum. The game will also be a part of TNT’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
