Houston Rockets Recap: Grizzlies’ Second Half Surge Tops Rockets

The Grizzlies erased a 16 point deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets on their worst shooting night of the season.

Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Houston Rockets failed to get back to their winning ways against the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night at the Toyota Center. This loss marks the first time this season that Houston has lost two consecutive games.

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Although Houston came in with one of the top offenses in the league, the Grizzlies are one of the continuous challenges for the Rockets. Friday night’s test showed that the Rockets are still a good team, but when they miss 31 threes, it makes for a nightmare.

After losing the previous game against their division rivals last month, the Rockets came out in full force revenge. While clicking on all cylinders Houston held a 31-25 lead following the first quarter.

Led by James Harden, who scored 16 points in the half, the Rockets held a commanding 64-51 lead heading into the halftime break. Not only did Houston shoot 58.3% from the field, but they did so against one of the best defensive teams in the league.

With Harden off to a fast start, and Eric Gordon back from a minor injury, it seemed as if the Rockets were poised to run Memphis out of the arena. Unfortunately like the old saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.”

They lost their sense of urgency in the second half which gave new life to the Grizzlies. Houston opened the third quarter shooting 2-for-12 from the field, missing all 7 of their attempts from behind the arc.

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In the midst of Houston’s struggles, former Rocket Troy Daniels and Zach Randolph led a third-quarter surge for Memphis. While shooting 65 percent from the field, the Grizzlies scored 32 points in the quarter and held the Rockets to just 21.

Memphis took their first lead of the half following a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Memphis led by two late in the fourth quarter before scoring the next five points, and a three pointer by Daniels with 26 seconds left in the game was the dagger for the Rockets.

Despite 27 points and 9 assists by Harden, Tony Allen‘s season high of 22 gave Memphis their third win out of the last four games. In the loss, The Rockets shot 10-for-41 from beyond the arc, making it their worst shooting performance of the season.

Next: Houston Rockets: Defense Wins Championships

Following the loss, the Houston Rockets will look to bounce back Sunday, against the Brooklyn Nets, in Brooklyn.

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