Rockets Crumble Late in 120-119 Loss to Grizzlies
Choke Job. All-Sengun. Too Bright?
Houston led by ten points at halftime, but Memphis slowly rallied in the second half, as the Rockets lost to the Grizzlies, 120-119, in a thriller on Thursday night. Dillon Brooks said after the game, “we should’ve blown them out,” and it did feel that way. Despite not having Alperen Sengun due to injury for the first time all season, Houston fought with Memphis all the way to the end. To make this affair even, Ja Morant didn’t play for the Grizzlies, as he’s dealing with an injury issue as well. As he’s done all season against the Rockets, Desmond Bane was tremendous, leading Memphis with 24 points. Luke Kennard found a hot streak to add 22 points, and Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 21 points in the win for the Grizz.
In a losing effort, Jalen Green led the Rockets with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Dillon “The Villain” Brooks scored 22 points against his former team, and Amen Thompson added 21 points for Houston. Starting in place of the injured Sengun, Steven Adams had one of his best games of the season. Adams scored 11 points, grabbed 10 boards, and had 3 assists in 23 minutes. Tari Eason had a solid double-double, scoring 13 points to go with 12 rebounds, and Fred VanVleet contributed 13 points in the loss. FVV had some questionable shots taken near the end of the game. The ball should’ve been in Jalen Green or Amen Thompson’s hands, or VanVleet should’ve run a play instead of basically bricking the Rockets out of a chance for victory.
Despite the loss, Houston owns the tiebreaker with Memphis, having won the the three prior games this season before Thursday’s loss. The Rockets are now only one game in the loss column (32-15) ahead of the Grizzlies (32-16) in the brutally tough Western Conference. And with this loss to Memphis, Houston is now 0-3 on national television this season, with all games coming on the road and on the network TNT. Granted, the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup Semifinal, but if it’s not in H-Town, consider it a road game. The other national loss came against the Sacramento Kings, a respectable team, despite them seeming to want to break up the roster now by putting their star De’Andre Fox on the trade marker. Is the spotlight of national tv too bright for this Rockets team? No. All these losses were close games (except against the juggernaut that is the OKC Thunder).
Houston’s next chance to play on national tv (barring league schedule changes among televised games) will be in the playoffs. For now, the Rockets need to keep charging along and see if they can maintain hold on the second seed in the West. In good news, Alperen Sengun was named an NBA All-Star, and deservedly so, for the first time in his career. He joins one of seven Western Conference All-Star reserves who will be heading to San Francisco on Valentine’s Day weekend for the big event. Up next, Houston makes a brief stop home to host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night before heading back on the road for another four-game trip.