Newly named All-Star Jaren Jackson sank a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to give Memphis a 120-119 win over Western Conference rival Houston Rockets at the FedEx Forum on Thursday, Jan. 30.
It was the Grizzlies’ first victory of the season over Houston, who has a 3-1 lead in the season series. The second-place Rockets still hold a 1.5 game lead over Memphis in the standings. The win follows a 143-106 loss to the Knicks on Monday, Jan. 27. Memphis committed 26 turnovers during that game.
“I thought we handled their one-on-one defense better. We did not try to overdribble to create the driving angle. We had a couple of ones where we slipped or the ball got away, but it wasn’t the case where we were gifting them 20 or 30 points. I thought our guys handled the physicality better today,” said Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins.
Jackson provided a reliable scoring option in the final minutes, after a tipshot by Houston guard Tori Eason pushed the Rocket’s lead to 115-107 with 6:18 remaining. The All-Star team reserve scored seven of the Grizzlies final 13 points, including the game-winning free throws.
The power forward finished with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. His 22.8 points per game average leads the Grizzlies.
“We wanted to beat them. It has been close at times. We just wanted to be able to finish the game strong and be in our favor,” said Jackson.
After trailing through three quarters, Memphis grabbed their first lead of the night on a pair of throws from Jake LaRavia with 9:44 in the final quarter. However, former Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks helped the Rockets rebuild their lead on a pair of midrange shots. One was converted for a three point play. After a Luke Kennard turnover, Brooks sank a 27-foot three-point shot on a Stephen Adams assist to put the Rockets back up 108-107 with 7:57 left in the game.
Adams is another former Grizzlies player. He started in place of Rockets center Alperen Sengun, who was also named as an All-Star reserve.
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies with 24 points on 11-24 shooting. He also led Memphis with 12 rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes of play. Bane is currently averaging 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season.
Luke Kennard scored 22 points on 9-15 shooting. He also hit 3-6 from deep. He filled in for Ja Morant, who was scratched from the roster late with a sore right shoulder. He has missed several games this season due to injuries. The former all-star wasn’t named to the team this year, after being selected in 2022 and 2023.
“It was a big game for us. We were down 0-3 in this series. We talked about it for the last couple of days. We needed to make a statement tonight. We had to find a way to win,” said Kennard.
Forward Santi Aldama added 15 points and five rebounds for Memphis, while backup center Brandon Clarke chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and a team-high three blocks.
Rockets Jalen Green led all scorers with 25 points. The fourth-year shooting guard also had six rebounds and five assists. Brooks added 22 points on 9-17 shooting. Amen Thompson scored 21 points and Adams notched 11 points and 10 rebounds, a game high.
Memphis shot 51.6% from the field on 48-93 shooting, compared to the Rockets 43.3%. However, the Rockets’ 40.6% from deep topped the Grizzlies 32.1%.
The Grizzlies will travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. CST. Memphis won the first meeting at home.
