Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies (44-22) traveled to Toyota Center to take on Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets (16-48) in part of the NBA Sunday slate. It was the Rockets that came out on top with the upset win with 123-112 being the final score.
For the Grizzlies, continuing to take care of business against teams they are supposed to beat is the objective in this one. On Saturday night, Memphis overtook the Golden State Warriors for second in the Western Conference standings but squandered their chance to maintain it by losing to the Rockets.
In the Grizzlies’ outing, Ja Morant (25) and Desmond (24) combined for 49 points as Memphis comfortably got by the Orlando Magic in their 124-96 blowout win. Memphis outscored Orlando by a staggering 37-16 in the second quarter and there was no coming back for Orlando from such a significant hole from that point on.
Against the Houston Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies had established a double-figure lead at halftime (62-52), but there was a real let-up after the break. The Rockets put up a staggering 40 points in the third quarter with Kevin Porter Jr. accounting for 19 of those. Houston continued to pour it on with 31 points in the final period—outscoring the Grizzlies by 11 points within the frame.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Grizzlies vs Rockets Sunday: Lineups, Injury Reports & Broadcast Info
The Grizzlies shot an abysmal 5/26 (19.2%) from deep on the night but still received 20-point outings from Desmond Bane (28), Steven Adams (23), and Ja Morant (22). None of the team’s other players managed to reach double-figures, however.
It was quite an impressive overall night for much of the Rockets’ key players. Porter Jr. ended the night with a team-high 29 points while Christian Wood chipped in 28 points and 13 boards. We can’t forget about Jalen Green, who totaled 24 points, eight rebounds, and four assists of his own.
Right now, the focus for the Rockets is the development of No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green. He’s been showing some intriguing flashes as of late and a matchup against a top team like the Grizzlies proved to be a prime opportunity to continue to experience progression with a positive performance.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Grizzlies vs Rockets Sunday: Lineups, Injury Reports & Broadcast Info
From a team-building standpoint, the Rockets’ main priority is to land another top pick in the NBA Draft and they are tied with having the best odds for the No. 1 overall pick prior to Sunday’s games. They were even riding a 12-game losing streak will certainly help to reach the “bottom” of the league as Houston has achieved. However, the players will still play hard and sometimes they can sneak a win catching a team by surprise.
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