Big man Jeff Green and guard Ben McLemore sparked the Rockets off the bench Sunday, leading to a 119-104 Houston victory (box score) over Memphis in a scrimmage at the NBA “bubble” in Florida.
McLemore had 26 points on 8-of-10 shooting (80.0%), including 6-of-7 on 3-pointers (85.7%). Meanwhile, Green scored 18 on 6-of-7 shootin from the field (85.7%) and 3-of-4 on treys (75.0%).
Led by Green and McLemore, the Rockets shot 22-of-51 as a team from behind the arc (43.1%), which far exceeded their 14-of-48 showing (29.2%) in Friday’s scrimmage loss to Toronto. Houston outscored the Grizzlies in the fourth quarter by a commanding 40-17 margin, which turned an eight-point deficit into a healthy victory.
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Superstar guard James Harden again led the Rockets in most major statistical categories with 31 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds, while veteran guards Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon each struggled from the field — shooting a combined 7-of-27 (25.9%). P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington each fouled out midway through the fourth quarter.
Even so, given hot shooting by key reserves like Green and McLemore, the rust shown by some of the veterans wasn’t enough to keep Houston from winning the game. In postgame interviews, both Harden and head coach Mike D’Antoni had high praise for Green’s performance.
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“I knew he was more than capable of helping us,” Harden said of Green, who was signed by the Rockets in late February — only a few weeks before the season’s COVID-19 suspension in early March.
“That’s one of the reasons we reached out,” Harden added. “He’s able to handle the ball, he can knock down shots, and contribute on defense.”
James Harden on if he's surprised by what Jeff Green has brought to the #Rockets:
"I knew he was more than capable of helping us. That's one of the reasons we reached out. He's able to handle the ball, he can knock down shots, and he contributes on defense." #OneMission
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) July 27, 2020
Memphis was led in defeat by prized guard and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ja Morant, who had 17 points and nine assists.
The Rockets (40-24) will finish up their scrimmage slate on Tuesday night versus Boston, with the team’s 2019-20 regular season set to resume three days later on Friday versus Dallas.
Houston has already clinched its spot in the 2020 NBA playoffs, though they have plenty to play for in the eight “seeding” games, since they can finish anywhere from No. 2 to No. 7 in the final West standings.
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