Thursday night, two of the top Western Conference teams, the two-seed Houston Rockets and three-seed Memphis Grizzlies faced off in their final meeting of the season. Thanks to a fourth-quarter burst from newly named all-star Jaren Jackson Jr., the Grizzlies eked out a 120-119 victory over the Rockets.
Houston has been a problem for Memphis this season; that much is clear. Rivals in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference, they meet four times a season, and until last night’s matchup, the Rockets appeared poised to sweep the season series. This win has pulled Memphis within a half-game of Houston for the second seed.
These two teams met three times in the month of January, with the Rockets winning the first two games and now the Grizzlies snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat in the third.
This game came down to the final possession, with Memphis ultimately securing the win thanks to a pair of clutch free throws from Jaren Jackson Jr. in the final seconds of the game.
Giving credit where it’s due, the Rockets dominated most of the game, leading by as many as 11 points. All five starters for Houston finished the game in double figures.
Former Grizzly Dillon Brooks had his highest scoring game of the series with 22 points, and shooting guard Jalen Green led all scorers with 25 points.
After struggling offensively in the first half and trailing by ten at halftime, the Grizzlies outscored the Rockets 64-53 in the final two quarters.
Point guard Ja Morant was sidelined with shoulder soreness, and Luke Kennard took his place in the starting lineup. Kennard has seen more minutes in the backup point guard role lately, in part due to the ongoing struggles of Scotty Pippen Jr., who finished the game with just four points.
Four of the Grizzlies’ starting five notched double figures — led by Desmond Bane’s 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. Bane played a season-high 40 minutes.
Luke Kennard added 22 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 2 steals on 9 of 17 overall shooting and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Kennard leads the NBA in three-point shooting, averaging 49.1% from three.
Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Nine of his 21 points came during the final quarter, including making a pair of free throws that gave Memphis the lead.
Shortly before tip-off, Jackson Jr. was announced as one of the Western Conference All-Star reserves, his second all-star appearance.
Jaylen Wells finished the night with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.
From the second unit:
Santi Aldama led the bench with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist, and two blocks on six of 13 overall shooting and three of 8 from beyond the arc.
Brandon Clarke put up 13 points, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks on six of seven overall shooting.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are hitting the road for one game to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, February 2nd. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. CST.
