November 23: The Houston Rockets defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 111-91, thanks in large part to 34 points from Jalen Green in the second half. This victory extended the Rockets’ winning run at home to seven games.
Green struggled to find his stroke during the first half, but after the break, he took off. He scored 13 points in each of the first and second halves, making 10 of his 16 field goals.
His scoring burst late in the third quarter—which included a 3-pointer and a huge dunk after a drive to the hoop—put the Rockets ahead 74-68 going into the fourth quarter.
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Jae’Sean Tate’s steal and help on a transition three from Fred VanVleet (16 points, 7 rebounds) gave Houston the lead early in the fourth. Green increased the lead to 84-70 with two more driving layups and a pull-up jumper, laying the groundwork for the Rockets to win easily.
For the Rockets, Alperen Sengun finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jabari Smith Jr. contributed 18 points and nine rebounds.
For the Grizzlies, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. each scored 23 points. Each pulled down seven rebounds as well.
With the exception of Bane, who scored eight points in the first quarter and made four of six shots, the Grizzlies didn’t shoot very well. Memphis did, however, make 13 trips to the foul line and make 11 free throws in order to take an 11-point lead. A contributing factor was the Rockets’ poor shooting performance; in the first quarter, they made only 38.1% of their shots while committing three turnovers.
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After 3-pointers from Tari Eason, Sengun, and Smith, the Rockets went on a 15-5 run, spanning the first two quarters to take a 31-30 lead. Even after Bane was sent to the bench for his third foul at the 5:52 mark of the second quarter, Houston was unable to sustain that momentum.
With Bane off the court, Memphis overcame a four-point deficit to close the half on a 13-8 run that put them ahead 46-45. Green and VanVleet scored 11 points despite missing 12 of 16 shots, including all eight three-pointers, while Bane and Jackson combined for 27 points on 9 of 15 shooting before the half.
