Melton leads Grizzlies in come-from-behind win
De'anthony Melton and Desmond Bane chatted pregame Monday when the Memphis Grizzlies duo learned Justise Winslow was a late scratch due to thigh soreness.
Bane then gave Melton a bold prediction for the Houston Rockets.
"Once we found out Justise was out, he said it's going to be a big night for us," Melton said.
The prophecy came true. The two combined for 40 points in the Grizzlies' 120-110 win in Houston. After Grayson Allen was injured in the first quarter, Melton and Bane took turns chipping in to help the Grizzlies (22-22) finish 2-2 on this road trip.
Melton leads strong second half
With Allen out, Melton picked up the slack in the second half. He had 13 consecutive points in the third quarter and finished with a season-high 23 points on 4-of-7 3-point shooting .
Melton kept his scoring up in the fourth quarter as the Grizzlies started pulling away. Bane's 3-pointer with 7:51 left gave the Grizzlies a 102-101 lead they didn't relinquish.
Bane finished with 17 points and leads all NBA rookies shooting 45.8% on 3-pointers this season after going 3for-5. Melton added four 3-pointers in his third 20-point game of the season.
"We're always ready for the challenge and whenever our name is called, we're going to show no matter what," said Melton, who's shooting just under 44% on 3-pointers.
Grizzlies pull away
Monday looked nothing like the Grizzlies' 49-point blowout win in Houston last month. There were 18 lead changes and the Rockets led by 12 points in the second quarter
But the Grizzlies bench - which scored 85 points against the Rockets last month - led the third quarter surge and provided a fourth quarter cushion. After the Rockets' Kelly Olynyk (25 points) had his way inside early, Jonas Valanciunas countered in the fourth with eight points in the final 3:51
Valanciunas' put-back slam with 36.7 seconds left put the game away and finished his 30-point, 15-rebound night. Ja Morant scored 12 points but had eight assists and added another highlight with a fancy up-and-under layup. Allen jumped to defend a layup by Danuel House and fell down hard on his side. He tried to play on but left the game and did not return due to soreness in his hip.
The Grizzlies have managed to avoid injuries the past eight games. Winslow was listed as questionable Monday morning and ruled out pregame.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Allen was "doing fine" and X-ray didn't reveal anything wrong. He and Winslow will continue to be evaluated ahead of Wednesday's game against the Utah Jazz. Depth has been the Grizzlies' luxury this season and it paid of again. Dillon Brooks also continued his strong play with 17 points and the Grizzlies improved to 12-1 when they have at least 30 assists.