Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets Game Preview

WHO: (Memphis Grizzlies 44-27, 30-5 home) vs Houston Rockets (18-54, 6-28 away)

WHEN: 7:00 PM CT

WHERE: FedEx Forum – Memphis TN

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: Bally Sports Southeast/92.9 FM ESPN Memphis

INJURY REPORT:

Memphis: Steven Adams (Out, Knee), Dillon Brooks (Out, Suspended), Brandon Clarke (Out, Achilles), Ja Morant (Available, Nasal Fracture), Vince Williams Jr. (Out, Shoulder), Ziare Williams (Out, G League Assignment) 

Houston: Darius Days (Out, Two-Way), Trevor Hudgins (Out, Two-Way), Jae’Sean Tate (Out, Knee), Ty Ty Washington (Out, G League Assignment)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS:

MEMPHIS: Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, David Roddy(?), Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman

HOUSTON: Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Kenyon Martin Jr., Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

The Memphis Grizzlies have been soaring recently, winning three straight and six out of their last seven. In the first of their two matchups against their division foes this week, they will look to stay hot against the worst team in the NBA, while attempting to ease Ja Morant back into the rotation after his time away from the team.

The Grizzlies have a lot of experience integrating Morant back into lineups though, as over the past two years, the star point guard has missed a total of 43 games, including multiple stints where he missed a significant amount of time. However this year when Morant returns from absence after missing time, the Grizzlies are only 4-4 in his first game back. 

The Grizzlies will also be without starting forward Dillon Brooks, who has been suspended by the NBA after picking up his 18th technical foul of the season against Dallas on Monday in the third quarter after taunting the Mavericks Bench. 

The Return of Ja Morant

Ja Morant is back. After a long two and a half weeks filled with harsh media scrutiny that criticized both the Grizzlies and their star, the two-time NBA All Star will return to the court after his suspension from the NBA from posing with a gun on his Instagram live story after a March 4th loss to the Nuggets. With Morant being away from the team for an extended time and being occupied with other issues to help him get back on the court, it will be interesting to see how well-conditioned he is, especially considering that the Grizzlies play at the eighth-highest pace.  

While questions about Morant’s actions on and off the court will continue to be highly microed in on, no matter what happens, the Grizzlies and their face of the franchise will be taking a step in the right direction of not only improving the image around him and the team, but also helping set up the team to be in the right direction going into the playoffs. 

Shooting the 3 Well

The Rockets allow the most three’s made per game to opponents, giving up 14.6 per game, almost a triple more than the next closest team. They are also 28th in opponent 3-Point percentage. Memphis is only 18th in makes per game and shoots them at one of the more inefficient clips of any team in the league.

With Morant back in the lineup and trade deadline acquisition Luke Kennard starting to hit his stride, it is important that Memphis takes advantage of the Houston’s lackluster three-point defense not only to secure the victory, but also to help them get into a flow from behind the arc heading into the playoffs, which will be crucial to any of hopes of making a deep run. Fortunately though for Memphis, Houston is an ideal opponent for the Grizzlies to start to gain some confidence from three against. In their first two games against them this season, the Grizzlies shot 43.4% from three, the second highest rate they’ve shot the trey ball against any team they have played at least twice this year.  

Jaren Continuing to Score Proficiently

Since Ja Morant has been out, Jaren Jackson Jr. has put the burden on himself to become the team’s primary scorer — averaging 22.7 points per game in that span on an efficient 51.1% clip by attacking mismatches, drawing fouls, and confidently shooting the three ball. Many times, the team has played offense revolving around him in this stretch. 

In games where Morant has not played this season, Jackson has been dominant, scoring 4.2 more points per game than he does when Ja plays. In order for the Grizzlies to contend with the top teams in the West such as the Suns, Nuggets, and Kings, they will need Jackson to step up alongside Ja and Desmond Bane to be the team’s third primary scorer, an issue that plagued Memphis in last year’s playoffs. If Jackson can continue to be a dominant inside force, and a spot-up shooter when teams force him to play on the perimeter — all while Ja is in the lineup — the Grizzlies will be in good shape. 

Prediction:

While the Rockets have been playing some of their best basketball of the season lately, beating a desperate Lakers team and the well-rounded Celtics, the Grizzlies have had their number as of late, beating them 78% of the time in their last nine matchups, dating back to the 2020-2021 season. Memphis has also won nine straight at home and all of them have come in efforts that were decided by more than a possession. The best home team in the NBA will continue their dominance at their stomping grounds, while getting their best player back into a rhythm for the home stretch of the season. 

Prediction: Memphis: 118, Houston 100