Rockets Aim to Sweep Grizzlies in National Showdown
Sweepstakes. Strive for Five. End of the Road.
Tonight, the Rockets get a rare opportunity to shine in the national spotlight. Houston rolls into Memphis on Thursday night riding a four-game winning streak, including impressive wins over Cleveland and Boston. The Grizzlies had their own six-game win streak snapped in their previous game, a blowout loss to the New York Knicks. The Rockets won the first matchup against the Grizz in a beatdown, but the last two games were close, with Houston winning both by a combined six points. Therefore, the Rockets are looking for a very impressive sweep of the season series over the Grizzlies if they can pull out the win in Memphis tonight. This game also marks the end of a four game road trip for Houston. So far the Rockets are 3-0 on this trip, and can make it a perfect journey with a win in the national spotlight on Thursday night. And after this game, Houston’s schedule for the remainder of the season eases up significantly.
Regardless of tonight’s outcome, the Rockets hold the tiebreaker, having won three of the four matchups already. The Grizz are still only two games behind Houston in the loss column for second place in the Western Conference. With a win tonight, the Rockets can stretch a three game lead over them and the rest of the pack out West (excluding the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder). Houston wants to win every game in Memphis for Dillon Brooks, who never wants to lose to his former team again.
Today is also Amen Thompson’s birthday. The most-talked about Rockets player over the last week turns 22 years old on Thursday. After two extremely impressive games in victories in Cleveland and Boston, Twin had a quieter night in Atlanta, but his services weren’t needed as much. Tonight, against a much better Grizzlies team, expect Thompson to shine in the national spotlight, as the Rockets play only their third nationally televised game so far this season. Jalen Green has also excelled against Memphis this season, scoring a season-high 42 points in one of their wins over the Grizz earlier this month.
It’s hard to beat a team four times in a single season, and that’s what Houston can very much accomplish tonight. There are two huge questions lingering before tip-off approaches. Alperen Sengun is questionable for the Rockets, and Ja Morant is questionable for the Grizzlies. Both players are huge pieces to their teams, Morant obviously the best player on Memphis, and Sengun the most-likely player on Houston to be named an All-Star. If either doesn’t play it certainly will impact tonight’s matchup. But these Rockets have shown they’re deep enough and driven enough to win no matter who’s able to suit up for their team. And with The Villain facing his former team in Memphis again, expect Houston to be ready for a physical, feisty battle. Expect another close and heated contest tonight as the Rockets tries for a rare sweep over the Grizzlies in front of a national audience.
FedExForum: Memphis, Tennessee
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (32-14): Black
Memphis Grizzlies (31-16): White
Tip-Off: 8:30 PM CT
TV: TNT