The losing streak for the young and rebuilding Rockets is 11 games after Wednesday’s 113-99 loss (box score) to visiting Memphis. It was the second straight night Houston played one of the two top teams in the Western Conference. As one might expect, the team with the NBA’s worst record wasn’t close in either.
The Grizzlies (37-23), who are No. 2 in the West standings, were led by sharpshooting guard Desmond Bane, who had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists on 12-of-17 shooting (70.6%), including 6-of-9 on 3-pointers (66.7%). The Rockets, on their second double-digit losing streak of the 2022-23 season, fell to 13-49 with the loss.
Kevin Porter Jr. returned from a seven-week injury absence, posting 11 points and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes. However, he shot just 3-of-11 from the field (27.3%) and was occasionally seen limping. Head coach Stephen Silas acknowledged postgame that Porter’s toe would likely be somewhat of a problem for the rest of the season.
In his second game back from a groin injury, Jalen Green led the Rockets with 20 points and 3 assists in 29 minutes, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range (57.1%). KJ Martin added 19 points and 6 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting (66.7%) and 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40%).
Second-year center Alperen Sengun tallied 11 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 31 minutes while making 5-of-6 shots (83.3%).
Scroll on for highlights, analysis and postgame interviews. Next up for Houston is a weekend back-to-back versus the Spurs, with part one in San Antonio on Saturday night. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Central.