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Rockets host Grizzlies Monday night
By: Staff Writer - StatFox
Published: 1/14/2019  at  5:59:00 AM
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The Houston Rockets don't have much time to lick their wounds, as they travel home from Orlando to host the Memphis Grizzlies (19-23) on Monday at Toyota Center on the second night of a back-to-back.

James Harden and, by proxy, the Rockets were riding high for so long that a crash felt inevitable. That collapse unfolded on Sunday at the Magic, an unexpected loss to be sure.

The Rockets (24-18) suffered their first defeat against a losing team since Dec. 20, blowing a 12-point lead against the Magic in a 116-109 setback. Harden extended his streak of 30-point games to 16 with 38 points plus 12 assists, but missed 16 of 17 3-pointers and scuffled throughout. Houston had excelled during a grueling 15-game stretch mostly against quality foes and was seeking to avoid a letdown during this four-game respite against struggling opposition.

"These losses, they hurt just because of how tight the West is," said Rockets guard Austin Rivers, whose 25 points were his most since joining Houston on Dec. 24. "This was supposed to be a win."

The Rockets have defeated the Grizzlies twice in two meetings this season, including a 113-101 home victory on New Year's Eve. Memphis is mired in a prolonged slump, but even against the Grizzlies, Houston can't afford the combination of poor perimeter shooting and the lax fourth-quarter defense that led to its demise in Orlando.

The Rockets shot 10 of 42 on 3-pointers, and their defensive effort matched their shooting late.

"You should be more determined to play defense if you're not making 3s," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "The only way to win the game is to play defense, and if you don't play defense because you're worried about missing 3s, then you're in big trouble. Hopefully, that's not it."

The Grizzlies continued their downward spiral on Saturday, blowing a 12-point, first-half lead in falling 112-108 at Miami.

What was a surprisingly strong start to the season is now a distant memory for Memphis, which has dropped 18 of 25 games since occupying first place in the Western Conference on Thanksgiving. The Grizzlies have posted a minus-8.6 net rating while losing 7 of 8, a mark that would rank 28th in the NBA if extrapolated over this current season.

Compounding matters was the loss of forward Kyle Anderson to a sprained left ankle in the first quarter against the Heat. Anderson underwent X-rays, which were negative, but he is expected to miss two to four weeks. He is averaging 7.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists this season.

"We've got to rally together every night," Memphis forward JaMychal Green said of losing Anderson. "We had a team meeting, and that's something we talked about: just having more pride on the defensive end and holding each other accountable. We've just to build off of that."

With Anderson sidelined indefinitely, the Grizzlies are short three players at small forward: Anderson, Dillon Brooks (right big toe surgery), and Chandler Parsons (not with the team).

"Obviously, we're going to miss him because he has some unique abilities making plays on both ends of the floor, and he's been doing great for us," Grizzlies center Marc Gasol said of Anderson. "But that's just the NBA. You've got to get ready for the next one, grab whatever you have, and move on."


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