A pair of teams from the Southwest Division take the floor to close a home-and-home set with a tilt in Bluff City. The Houston Rockets are on the road as they travel to face the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night. These teams met on Wednesday night down in Houston, with the Rockets rolling to a 117-104 victory at home, covering the 9.5-point line in the contest. In the all-time regular season series, the Rockets own a 66-46 advantage and have taken the first two meetings this season. Will the Rockets make it three straight at the expense of the Grizzlies or can Memphis pull out a rare home win?

Houston Rockets Shoot for Fifth Straight Win

Houston earned a fourth straight win as they took care of business against the Grizzlies in their home portion of this home-and-home set Wednesday night. The Rockets entered Thursday night 12-9 on the season and they stood tied for second in the Southwest Division, two games behind the Mavericks for the top spot. They stood seventh in the Western Conference, half a game behind the Kings for the final guaranteed playoff spot and three games ahead of the 11th-place Warriors to remain in the play-in tournament field. Against Memphis, Houston led by six after the opening quarter, by as many as 19 in the second quarter and by 14 at the half. The Rockets saw their lead trimmed to one after three quarters but started the final stanza with a 10-2 run to restore their lead en route to the win. Houston shot 45.3% from the field, including 12 of 32 from three-point range, and controlled the boards 58-39 in the game. Tari Eason led the Rockets with 25 points and 14 rebounds off the bench in the win.

The Rockets enter this contest 26th in the league with 109.8 points per game on the season. Houston is 6th in rebounding by collecting 45.9 boards a night while they are 18th in assists with 25.6 dimes per contest. The Rockets are 1st in scoring defense as they give up an average of 105.5 points per game on the year. Alperen Seguin leads the team in scoring with 20 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game this season. Jalen Green (18 points, 4.5 rebounds), Fred VanVleet (16.4 points, 8.6 assists), Dillon Brooks (13.2 points) and Jabari Smith Jr. (12.9 points) have been solid secondary scoring options in the early going. Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jeff Green, Jae’Sean Tate, Reggie Bullock, Jock Landale and Aaron Holiday have to contribute for coach Ime Udoka for the team to have success. Houston is 23rd in field goal percentage as they shoot 46.1% as a team from the floor. The Rockets are 15th in threes per game as they knock down 12.5 triples a night and stand 19th in three-point shooting by hitting 36% from beyond the arc.

Victor Oladipo (knee) remains out and has no timetable for return at this point. Thompson (illness) missed Wednesday’s game with an illness and is questionable here.

Memphis Grizzlies Looking for Rare Road Victory

Memphis lost their third straight and their fourth in the last five games as they were downed by the Rockets on the road in their previous game Wednesday night. The Grizzlies fell to 6-17 on the season and stand fourth in the Southwest Division, nine games behind Dallas for the top spot. They stood 14th in the Western Conference standings, 7.5 games behind the Kings for the final guaranteed playoff spot and 6.5 games behind the Suns for the final spot in the play-in tournament. Against Houston, Memphis trailed by six after the opening quarter, by 19 in the second quarter and by 14 at the half. The Grizzlies sliced the deficit to one at the end of the third quarter though they couldn’t maintain that momentum as the Rockets pulled away in the final stanza. Memphis shot 42.7% from the field, including 10 of 38 from three-point range, and was crushed 58-39 on the glass in the game. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 44 points, seven rebounds and four steals in the loss.

On the season, the Grizzlies are 30th in the league in scoring offense as they average 106.4 points per game this season. Memphis is 25th in the league in rebounding with 41.7 boards a night while the team is 27th by dishing out an average of 24 assists a night. The Grizzlies are above average defensively as they are 10th in the league by allowing an average of 112.7 points per contest. Desmond Bane leads the Grizzlies with 24.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Jaren Jackson Jr. (21.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks), Marcus Smart (12.5 points) and Santi Aldama (12.4 points, six rebounds) each are averaging in double figures. David Roddy, Xavier Tillman, Derrick Rose, Ziaire Williams, Luke Kennard, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Bismack Biyombo, Jake LaRavia, Vince Williams Jr. and John Konchar are all counted on for coach Taylor Jenkins’ rotation. Memphis stands 29th in field goal percentage as they connect on 43.6% of their attempts from the floor on the season. The Grizzlies splash an average of 12.9 three-pointers a night, putting them 11th in that category. Memphis is 30th in three-point field goal percentage as they knock down 33.4% of their attempts from beyond the arc this season.

Memphis has their issues that has forced them to retool their rotation. Star point guard Ja Morant is serving a 25-game suspension that will keep him out of action until December 23. Steven Adams was lost for the season with a knee injury before the season began. Brandon Clarke is out indefinitely as he recovers from a torn Achilles: he last played on March 3, 2023. Smart (foot) is out until late December while Bane (illness) missed Wednesday’s game and is questionable for this contest.