On January 10th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, with the Rockets visiting the Grizzlies today. This game was a crucial battle for positioning, as the Rockets were second in the Western Conference before the game, while the Grizzlies were third, with only a 0.5-game difference between them. If the Grizzlies had won, the two teams' rankings would have switched.
In the first half of the first quarter, the Rockets' offense was very fierce, with Shen Jing almost shooting without missing, and Green and VanVleet also contributing. In less than 7 minutes, the Rockets led by 12 points at 33-21; however, in the middle and later stages, the Rockets' shooting accuracy showed a noticeable decline, and the Grizzlies once reduced the gap to only 5 points. At the end of the quarter, Green's three-pointer and free throws helped the Rockets end the first quarter with a 9-point lead at 45-36.
At the beginning of the second quarter, both teams had low offensive efficiency, with the score fluctuating around a 9-point difference; in the middle stage, Whitmore and Dilon's three-pointers and Shen Jing's inside scoring helped the Rockets take a 17-point lead; on the Grizzlies' side, Aldama and Huff's consecutive scores narrowed the gap; at the end of the period, it was Kennard's three-pointer and Little Jackson's inside scoring that narrowed the gap again. The first half ended with the Rockets leading by only 5 points at 68-63.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the Grizzlies relied on the iron triangle of Little Jackson, Morant, and Bane to continuously score and overtake the score; then Shen Jing's inside scoring and Tate's two consecutive three-pointers helped the Rockets regain the lead; after that, the two teams entered another tug-of-war. At the end of the period, VanVleet exploded with consecutive scores to help the Rockets widen the gap again, and the third quarter ended with the Rockets leading by 9 points at 101-92.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Green hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to 12 points, followed by a burst from Bane on the Grizzlies' side, who continuously scored to narrow the gap. Then Kennard's three-pointer and Morant's free throws helped the Grizzlies close the gap to 114-115 with only 2 minutes and 40 seconds left; at a critical moment, VanVleet hit a tough mid-range shot to give the Rockets a 3-point lead; in the last 4 seconds, a dramatic scene occurred when Bane made a three-pointer to tie the score, but the goal was invalid as the Grizzlies' coach had called a timeout before the shot. In the final moments, the Rockets intentionally fouled to send Bane to the free throw line. After Bane deliberately missed his second free throw, the Rockets grabbed the rebound, and finally, Holiday made two free throws to seal the game. The Rockets ultimately defeated the Grizzlies 119-115, maintaining their second place in the West.
Individually, Shen Jing scored 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists; Jalen Green had 27 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals; VanVleet contributed 22 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals; Tate had 12 points and 4 rebounds; Amen had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists; and Whitmore scored 9 points.
For the Grizzlies, Little Jackson had 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals; Morant scored 27 points with 3 rebounds and 3 assists; Bane had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals; Aldama scored 12 points and 9 rebounds; and Kennard had 11 points.