Grizzlies-Rockets Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Dec 22 2012 2:30AM

The defensive-minded Memphis Grizzlies are back on track following an undefeated homestand.

However, continuing down that path could be a challenge given their recent struggles at Houston.

Winners of four straight, the Southwest Division-leading Grizzlies will try to end a 12-game losing streak visiting the Rockets on Saturday night.

Memphis (18-6) is giving up a league-low 89.2 points per game, but the team has really clamped down defensively since a season-worst three-game skid, holding its last four opponents to an average of 79.8 points.

Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, a member of the NBA all-defensive first team last season, deserves as much credit as anyone for this success. He held Milwaukee's Monta Ellis to four points on Wednesday and Dallas' leading scorer O.J. Mayo to 10 on Friday in a 92-82 victory.

"I told Tony: 'You're going to guard (Mayo) whenever he is in the game,'" said coach Lionel Hollins, whose team hasn't allowed 100 points since a 101-92 season-opening loss at the Los Angeles Clippers. "... They had some other people score, but it wasn't the same as when he is playing."

The Rockets (13-12) find themselves in a similar position. While Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons both have 30-point games this season, their success has largely hinged on how often James Harden, the team leader with 25.4 points per game, is putting the ball in the basket.

Houston is 6-1 when he scores at least 30.

"James is kind of the head of the spear," coach Kevin McHale said after Harden hit a career-high 17 free throws and scored 33 points in Wednesday's 125-103 win over Philadelphia. "He's the guy that takes us out and gets us going."

Harden is averaging 29.9 points and has made 76 of 82 from the foul line over his last seven games. He trails only Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard in free-throw attempts per game with 9.9.

"He holds the ball low with his strong hands and gets a lot of foul calls," said Parsons, who led the Rockets with 19 points in a 93-85 loss at Memphis on Nov. 9.

Harden hit 9 of 10 free throws in that loss, but Allen held him to 4-of-18 shooting and 18 points.

Houston, among the league's best offenses with 104.8 points per game, matched its season low in scoring.

The Grizzlies could use a similar defensive effort as they eye their first victory at Houston since April 15, 2006.

Houston, though, is going for a season high-tying third straight victory and fifth win in six games.

"I can see us starting to build a little momentum," McHale said. "We've got to continue this now and we've got a tough game. Our next game against Memphis is going to be tough."

Lin and Toney Douglas have a tough matchup with Mike Conley, whose 11 assists on Friday made him the Grizzlies' all-time leader with 2,079, but teams that have been able to pressure Memphis' point guard have enjoyed some success. The Grizzlies are 2-5 when Conley has four or more turnovers and 11-0 when he has two or fewer.

Conley committed two turnovers last month against Houston.

Grizzlies leading scorer Rudy Gay, a former Rockets draft pick, scored a team-best 21 points in that game while teammate Zach Randolph, the NBA double-double leader with 20, finished with 15 points and 14 boards.

Harden leads Rockets over Grizzlies 121-96

By KRISTIE RIEKEN
Posted Dec 22 2012 11:23PM

HOUSTON (AP) Houston coach Kevin McHale figured the best way to beat the Memphis Grizzlies was to get down the court before they could get their dominant defense set.

His plan worked perfectly.

James Harden scored 31 points with eight assists, and the Rockets earned their third straight win, 121-96 over the Grizzlies on Saturday night.

Memphis entered the game allowing an NBA-low 89.2 points a game. But the Grizzlies had no answer for Harden. He did all his scoring in the first three quarters and reached at least 20 points for an eighth straight game.

"It's easier getting them early than it is going against the defense and trying to get something in the last five seconds of the shot clock," McHale said. "That's where they really get into you."

Houston used a big run midway through the second quarter to take the lead, and didn't trail after that to break a four-game winning streak by the Grizzlies.

"We know how physical they are," Harden said. "They like to pound the ball in the paint and get easy layups. It was our job to push the tempo, get stops, and get in transition."

Mike Conley had 16 points for the Grizzlies on a night when leading scorer Rudy Gay finished with a season-low six points.

"We tried to play their game, and they are obviously better at it than us playing at that pace," Memphis center Marc Gasol said. "They beat us in every aspect of the game."

Memphis hadn't allowed 100 points since the Clippers scored 101 in the season-opener - an NBA-best streak of 23 games.

The Rockets needed just over three quarters to reach the mark, hitting it with a free throw by Jeremy Lin with 9 1/2 minutes left that made it 100-80.

"I think tonight we showed how explosive we can be offensively because we put 120 points on a team that hasn't allowed over 100 since the first game of the season," Lin said. "This is just a testament to people moving and passing the ball."

It was the Rockets' 13th straight home victory over the Grizzlies. Memphis hasn't won in Houston since April 2006.

Lin added 15 points and a season-high tying 11 assists, and Marcus Morris scored 16 points.

The Rockets took advantage of their speed in this one, outscoring Memphis 33-3 on fast breaks in the Grizzlies' most lopsided loss of the season.

"They were tired," Lin said of the Grizzlies, who beat Dallas on Friday night. "So we wanted to make sure ... that we got the ball out and just run as fast as we can."

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins was disappointed in his team's effort.

"We just had no juice, no energy, and were not mentally tough," he said. "We just kind of packed it in early."

The Rockets led by 15 points late in the third quarter when Harden found Greg Smith in the lane for a dunk. Quincy Pondexter made a layup on the other end before Carlos Delfino knocked down a 3-pointer from 2 feet behind the line to extend the lead to 94-76.

Zach Randolph made a layup for Memphis to end the quarter with Houston up 94-78.

The Rockets had a six-point lead before Harden scored seven straight points to push Houston's lead to 77-64 with seven minutes left in the third quarter. He started the run with a three-point play before jumping in front of a pass and taking it the distance for a layup.

The Grizzlies led by three points with about nine minutes left in the second quarter before Houston used a 13-3 run powered by six points from Omer Asik to take a 48-41 lead.

Memphis cut its deficit to four later in the quarter. This time, the Rockets used a 12-6 spurt to extend their lead to 64-54 at halftime.

NOTES: The Rockets recalled G Scott Machado from the D-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers before the game. ... Asik had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. ... Houston is 7-1 when Harden scores at least 30 points. ... Randolph finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for his 21st double-double this season, which leads the league. ... Houston's 32 assists were a season-high.

Notebook: Rockets121, Grizzlies 96

Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:30 PM - Updated Sat Dec 22, 2012 11:30 PM

THE FACTS: Even the NBA's best defensive team had no answers for James Harden and the Houston Rockets' red-hot offense.

Harden scored a game-high 31 points and dished out eight assists, while Jeremy Lin added 15 points, 11 dimes and six rebounds as the Rockets ended the Memphis Grizzlies' four-game winning streak with a 121-96 beatdown on Saturday at Toyota Center. Omer Asik posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards. Four other players scored in double-figures for Houston (14-12), which has won three games in a row overall and four straight at home.

Mike Conley paced Memphis (18-7), which has lost three of its last four road games, with 16 points and six assists, while Quincy Pondexter scored 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting off the bench. The Grizzlies simply did not defend with the intensity and focus they displayed in their previous four contests, during which they allowed an average of only 79.8 points.

QUOTABLE: "No matter who we play, we don't want to change our style. I thought we got pretty much whatever we wanted."

-- Rockets forward Chandler Parsons

THE STAT: After the Grizzlies limited Houston to a season-low five fast-break points in a 93-85 victory Nov. 9 in Memphis, the Rockets scored a season-high 33 fast-break points Saturday. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, finished with only three points in transition.

TURNING POINT: The Grizzlies showed signs of life after halftime, trimming a 13-point deficit to 70-64 with 8:50 remaining in the third quarter. But Houston quickly stretched the lead to 77-64 after three consecutive defensive stops, including a Harden steal, which led to three transition buckets and a free throw for Harden. The Rockets' lead never dipped below double-digits after that.

QUOTABLE II: "We tried to play their game, and they are obviously better at playing at that pace than us. They beat us in every aspect of the game."

-- Grizzlies center Marc Gasol

HOT: Harden, the league's fourth-leading scorer entering Saturday, made Memphis the latest victim of his recent tear. In addition to netting at least 28 points in four consecutive games, Harden has averaged 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and shot 52.5 percent (32-for-61) from the field during this stretch.

NOT: The Grizzlies gave up more points than they had all season for a game and a half, as Houston recorded its 10th 60-point half of the season with 64 points over the first two quarters. The Rockets also became only the second Memphis opponent to reach the century mark this season, snapping the Grizzlies' league-best 23-game streak of limiting opponents to less than 100 points.

GOOD MOVE: The Rockets knew their best chance to generate great looks at the basket against Memphis' league-leading defense would have to come early in the shot clock. Houston executed its game plan brilliantly, pushing the ball up the court at every opportunity to keep Grizzlies defenders off-balance and out of position for most of the night.

QUOTABLE III: "James had a great thrust when we were coming [down the court], and we really wanted to make an emphasis on trying to score before ... their bigs kind of got into the paint and try not to go against their size all night. ... Once [the Grizzlies] get their defense set, they're tough."

-- Rockets coach Kevin McHale, on Harden

BAD MOVE: Memphis may have had a better chance to keep up with the running Rockets if its top scorers had taken a more assertive approach on the offensive end. Through three quarters, Grizzlies stars Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph both had fewer shot attempts than role players Tony Allen, Darrell Arthur and Pondexter.

NOTABLE: The Grizzlies have lost 13 consecutive meetings with the Rockets in Houston. They last won at Toyota Center on April 15, 2006. ... Memphis lost for the first time this season (11-1) when Conley commits less than three turnovers. ... Houston has drained at least 51.3 percent of its shot attempts in three consecutive games. The team had not shot better than 50.0 percent from the field in three straight games since March 13-17, 2010. ... The Rockets improved to 7-1 this season when Harden scores at least 30 points and 10-2 when Harden connects on at least 45.0 percent of his field-goal attempts. ... Houston has won 28 of its last 32 December home games. ... Houston is 4-1 since McHale returned from his leave of absence. ... The Rockets handed out a season-high 32 assists, which also set Memphis' opponent season high.

UP NEXT: For the Grizzlies: Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, Saturday vs. Denver, Dec. 31 @ Indiana. For the Rockets: Tuesday @ Chicago, Wednesday @ Minnesota, Friday @ San Antonio.

• Grizzlies: --
• Rockets: Patterson, White

• Grizzlies: --
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 11
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #6 Tony Brown, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 18029
• Duration: 2:06