|
 "They have one of the best scorers in the league and he (made)
shots," Allen said.
After being held to 10 points in the first half, Rockets' guard
James Harden, averaging 28.1 points, scored 15 of his game-high 25
points after the break to lead the Rockets to their fourth straight
win. Harden had eight points in a fourth quarter in which the
Rockets outscored the Grizzlies, 35-22, and made six of nine
3-pointers.
Harden admitted he may have been too tentative early, an approach
that allowed the Grizzlies to build a seven-point lead. A more
aggressive Harden gave the Rockets the boost they needed in the
second half to pull away and defeat the Grizzlies for the first time
in three attempts this season.
"I was being a little bit too passive and that was causing
turnovers," Harden said of his first-half effort. "I was being a
little too unselfish instead of looking for my shot. I tried to do
that in the second half and I made some shots."
Harden had plenty of support. Forward Terrence Jones added 20 points
off the bench and the Rockets dominated on the boards, outrebounding
the Grizzlies, 42-31. Houston had 18 offensive rebounds and 28
second-chance points to 12 for Memphis.
"It was a battle down there," said Grizzlies center Marc Gasol. "It
felt like every time they got (an offensive rebound) they kicked it
out and his us for a 3-pointer. They were hurting us."
The Rockets connected on 18 3-pointers, including four by Harden,
and enjoyed a decisive edge on the board to snap their losing streak
against Memphis.
The Grizzlies entered the game having averaged 50 rebounds in
back-to-back wins over Denver and Boston.
"At the end of the day the story line is too many turnovers and too
many offensive rebounds for them," said Grizzlies coach Dave
Joerger. "They scored 56 points off turnovers and offensive
rebounds. It seemed like every time they got an offensive rebound it
was a 3-pointer and not just a putback."
Center Dwight Howard finished with a game-high 14 rebounds for the
Rockets and added 17 points for a double-double.
The Grizzlies, who saw their two-game win streak end, were playing
shorthanded. Starting guard Mike Conley missed his fourth straight
game because of an Achilles injury and starting forward Matt Barnes
sat out with a thumb injury.
Gasol paced Memphis with 20 points and Allen scored 17. Guard
Courtney Lee returned after missing two games with a hip injury and
scored 16.
Houston shot better from beyond the arc (18 of 35 for 51.4 percent)
than it did overall (33 of 77 for 42.9 percent).
Trailing by seven at the half, the Grizzlies used a 13-2 run to open
the third quarter to take a 57-53 lead.
Much like they did in the first half, the Rockets used a flurry of
3-pointers to reclaim the lead. Houston made four 3s in the final
seven minutes of the quarter and led, 72-69, entering the final
period.
[to top of second column] |
In the fourth quarter, the Rockets used a 14-2 run to pull away. The
run gave Houston a 97-85 lead with three minutes to go.
"Our guys didn't give in," said Houston interim coach J.B.
Bickerstaff. "There were opportunities. The crowd got into the game,
some calls didn't go our way, things of that nature. But our guys
didn't lose their composure. They kept competing and kept playing."
The Grizzlies struggled on the boards in the first half and trailed,
51-44, at the break. Memphis was outrebounded, 24-13, as Gasol was
limited to two rebounds in 18 minutes and Jeff Green had none in 15
minutes. Green did not play in the second half.
Despite the lopsided rebounding advantage (11-3) by the Rockets in
the opening quarter, the Grizzlies led, 24-22.
In the second quarter, the Rockets used a 29-14 run to build a
13-point advantage. Houston connected on five 3-pointers in the
quarter, including two by reserve Marcus Thornton.
Thornton finished with 16 as the Houston bench scored 45 points.
The Grizzlies' halftime deficit could have been larger if not for a
30-foot jumper at the buzzer from Lee. Lee raced down court after an
Allen steal and lofted an off-balance jumper as time expired.
NOTES: Grizzlies F Zach Randolph is becoming a strong candidate for
Sixth Man of the Year. Randolph entered Tuesday's game with 14
appearances off the bench in 34 games. He needs to play more than
half of his games as a reserve to qualify. He entered Tuesday
averaging 17.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in the past 10 games. ...
Rockets G Ty Lawson served the final game of a three-game league
suspension Tuesday. His suspension stems from a DUI arrest in
California in July. ... Grizzlies F Matt Barnes missed the game
because of right thumb injury he sustained Sunday in Memphis' win
over Boston. ... G Mike Conley missed his fourth consecutive game
due to a left Achilles injury. ... The Rockets entered Tuesday's
game with a 2-8 record at FedExForum in the past 10 trips.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
