The rising stars are coming to play.
In a conflict of Western Convention powerhouses, the Memphis Grizzlies will face the red-hot Houston Rockets tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The Rockets lead the season sequence 3-0, however the video games have been a battle all through. Houston is using a four-game win streak that noticed them take down the highest two groups within the Jap Convention and a signature second for Amen Thompson.
Memphis enters this sport with its six-game win streak snapped in a blowout loss on the Backyard to the Knicks.
For followers tuning in, one factor to search for in each groups is their elite protection and depth throughout the board.
Within the victory in opposition to Atlanta on Jan. 28, the Rockets scored 30 factors off the bench, headlined by a 16-point evening by Jae’Sean Tate.
“(Tate) was large—and our bench basically,” head coach Ime Udoka mentioned after the win. “We discuss our depth with Steven (Adams) being out, Tari (Eason) being out, some others being banged up a little bit bit, it’s good to have these guys are available and provides us a lift.”
Houston’s depth might want to step up once more in opposition to a deep, bodily Grizzlies workforce robust on each side of the ball. With former DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. and enforcer Zach Edey guarding the paint, there aren’t any straightforward buckets. Mix elite scorers Ja Morant and Desmond Bane with a bench stuffed with shooters Santi Aldama and Luke Kennard, and also you’ve obtained a recipe for the top-scoring offense within the league.
As for Houston, their protection has been locking groups up. Houston leads the League in rebounds per sport and is permitting the fifth-fewest factors per sport. Led by two-way wings Thompson and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets’ frontcourt has put the clamps on opposing threats, whereas heart Alperen Sengun has dealt with scoring and grabbing boards within the paint. Houston’s backcourt of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Inexperienced have produced on the offensive finish, with Inexperienced averaging 21.3 factors per sport.
It’s going to be a battle. Regardless of each groups’ excessive defensive rankings, anticipate an explosive, bodily sport between two groups contending within the Western Convention.
