Houston Rockets: 3 keys to defeating the Memphis Grizzlies

3. Win the transition battle

Against a good defensive team, transition buckets will come at a premium. Typically, the pace of the game will be slowed down, and teams will be forced to do their offensive damage from a half court set. The Rockets have struggled to score against Memphis in their previous two games, and that’s why they must win the transition battle.

The Rockets are averaging 9.7 fast break points a game, which ranks 16th in the league. However, in Houston’s two games against Memphis, they’re averaging just 4.5 points on the break, which would rank dead last in the NBA.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are averaging 9.0 fast break points against the Rockets this season. Obviously, its only a 4.5 point difference, but Memphis is averaging 14.5 fast break points in the season. The Grizzlies are slowing the pace of the game against Houston because they have a better chance at winning a low scoring game half-court game against the Rockets than a fast paced track meet.

The Rockets can’t beat Memphis consistently in half court grind it out games. Instead, the Rockets need to get into transition and push the ball down the middle of the floor to find the open man.

Next: No. 2