Morant, Bane help Grizzlies snap 8-game road skid
On consecutive days, Memphis Grizzlies games have had an identical game trend, with the Grizzlies starting slow in the the first half against their opponent. This time, it was the Houston Rockets.
On Tuesday, Ja Morant had a recordbreaking 28-point third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers. On Wednesday, Morant and Desmond Bane teamed up for a high-scoring third quarter that helped the Grizzlies build a 17-point lead.
Memphis continued to pull away in the fourth quarter as it defeated the Rockets 113-99 at the Toyota Center.
The win snapped the Grizzlies’ eightgame losing streak away from home. After making five 3-pointers total in the first three games after the All-star break, Bane made six against Houston and scored 30 points for Memphis (3823). Morant finished with 20 points,
seven rebounds and seven assists without playing a minute in the fourth quarter.
Houston (13-49) gave the Grizzlies trouble in the first half by attacking the offensive glass, but once Memphis corrected those issues, the Rockets couldn’t create much efficient offense.
Here are some takeaways from the game.
Second night, slow start
The Grizzlies and Rockets were both on the second night of a back-to-back, and it wasn’t hard to tell in the first half. Both teams had sluggish offensive starts, but the Grizzlies broke away in the third quarter. Memphis has the second-best net rating in the NBA in the third quarter; after holding a threepoint halftime lead, Memphis led by 17 after the third quarter.
Hot shooting in Houston
Bane ended his slumping ways from beyond the arc with one of his most efficient shooting nights of the season. His shooting rubbed off on teammates as
the Grizzlies poured in 3-pointer after 3-pointer against the Rockets to pull away. The Grizzlies made 17 3-pointers as a team.
Dillon Brooks close to a suspension
Early in the third quarter, Dillon Brooks was issued his 15th technical foul of the season. That ties him with Golden State’s Draymond Green for the NBA lead. More importantly, Brooks is now one game away from an automatic one-game suspension. NBA players who reach 16 technical fouls in the regular season are issued automatic onegame suspensions.
Brooks has noticed how close he is to the suspension, and Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins has mentioned it as well.
Brooks started his March with a better offense performance after an inefficient February. A day after shooting 2for-11, Brooks had 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting against Houston.
What’s next
The Grizzlies will have a tick up in competition for the remainder of their road trip. Next up is a contest Friday at the Denver Nuggets (9 p.m., ESPN, Bally Sports Southeast). Not only is Denver the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but it also has the best home record in the NBA at 28-4. The Grizzlies and Nuggets have split their previous two meetings, with both teams winning at home.