On Friday, the Grizzlies did something they hadn’t done in a long time. They played a game that solely involved basketball.
There was no celebration of an All-Star returning from a suspension after several adolescent actions, including a verbal altercation with a 17-year-old that allegedly led to a brandished firearm. Nor was there the usual chatter and antics of guard Dillon Brooks, who was suspended for exceeding the NBA’s limit for technical fouls.
Led by Brooks and Ja Morant, the Grizzlies (46-27) played good, old-fashioned basketball. Unfortunately, the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets (18-56) were the recipients of a 151-114 annihilation from the No. 2 team in the Western Conference.
“We weren’t physical with them; they were physical with us,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. “We knew the physicality was going to be the number one thing when it came to this game, and we were just letting them run around wherever they wanted.”
Houston did not look like the same team from that barely lost to Memphis, 130-125, two days earlier. They allowed the Grizzlies to do anything they wanted on the offensive end of the court, including hitting a franchise-record 25 3-pointers. Starter Desmond Bane and reserve Luke Kennard combined to make 15 attempts.
Kennard set a franchise record with 10 made 3-pointers, and he matched his career high with 30 points.
“They have two guys known for shooting in Bane and Kennard,” said Silas. “We knew that coming in. That was really the 3-point shooting.”
#Rockets fall tonight in Memphis 151-114
Tari Eason led the way with 21 points and met with the media after the game
The @HoustonRockets road trip continues Sunday in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/x7SeWxlXvq
— AT&T SportsNet™ | SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) March 25, 2023
When the Grizzlies were not shooting lights out on Friday, they used their physicality to their advantage against a young Rockets team that seemed disorganized from the start of the game. They allowed 83 points by halftime and were trailing Memphis by 31 points.
“They came out and kind of punched us in the mouth, and we didn’t necessarily have an answer for it,” said rookie forward Tari Eason, who tied his career high with 21 points.
“That being said, they are one of the top teams in the West,” Eason added. “They’re in a place we want to get to in the coming years. We just got to learn from this. It’s unfortunate to see us lose this way, this badly. But through all these losses are lessons.”
One lesson that the Rockets need to learn from this season is how not to get so easily distracted by the game officials. On Friday, they looked to be taken out of the game mentally and physically as they complained to the referees about the lack of non-calls.
“Every time we go to the paint, it was ‘Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t get a foul call,’” Silas said postgame. “The more you do that, the more the referees aren’t going to give you any calls.”
“You got to play through that physicality and play through those things, so then they will give you the benefit of the doubt,” Silas said. “But if you continue to show up referees or raise your hands or complain, or whatever. What referee is going to give you a call? It’s not going to happen. We got to be focused on what is important, and that’s playing well, not the referees, not everything else.”
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