In the competitive Southwest Division, two teams have fallen behind the rest of the pack.

One of them will improve its position when the slumping Houston Rockets try to snap out of their funk in a matchup with the last-place Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

After posting 52 wins last season for its best finish in 10 years, Houston thought it might be able to compete with Dallas and San Antonio for the Southwest title this season. The Rockets (9-9), though, have faded after a 6-1 start, falling into fourth place in the division.

Houston trails division-leading San Antonio by six games and is three behind Dallas and New Orleans. The Rockets are only ahead of the Grizzlies - the one team in the division with a losing record at 6-11.

"We're just a mediocre team right now," Tracy McGrady told the Rockets' official Web site. "Right now, guys are in a funk. But no one is going to feel sorry for you so you got to get yourself out of it. I'm going to keep giving guys the ball so guys have to keep shooting and they have to remain confident. That's the only way we're going to get out of it."

On Saturday, McGrady had 40 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Yao Ming added 29 points and 11 rebounds, but the Rockets lost 107-99 at Sacramento.

McGrady and Yao combined to shoot 22-for-45 from the field, but the rest of the Rockets were 13-for-37, and no other Houston player scored more than eight points.

"We've shot poorly as a team, other than two guys," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "When you're shooting poorly, the other team is going to come at those two guys. It's kind of a fine line. We're trying to win games so we're reverting back by going to those two guys. But we need more ball movement and to get more guys involved."

A lack of depth hurt the Rockets in their first game against the Grizzlies this season. McGrady had 41 points and Yao added 22, but only one of their teammates reached double figures as Houston fell 105-99 in Memphis on Nov. 13.

That was the first of six straight losses for Houston.

The Grizzlies hope to extend the Rockets' misery as they go for their fourth win in six games. Rudy Gay put Memphis in good position to notch a victory Monday, making an acrobatic tip-in with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Grizzlies a 105-104 lead over Portland.

The Trail Blazers' Travis Outlaw, however, made a baseline runner at the buzzer to deal Memphis a 106-105 defeat.

"You make progress, and then you lose the game. That's not progress," Grizzlies coach Mark Iavaroni said. "You win the game, you take command and you get the game under control and close it out. That's progress."

Despite the disappointing finish, Iavaroni has reason to be encouraged. Gay, a second-year forward, had 30 points to fall one shy of his career high. Pau Gasol had a season-high 15 rebounds and Mike Miller scored a season-best 30 points.

Gasol had 26 points and Miller added 17, seven rebounds and six assists in the Grizzlies' first meeting with the Rockets.

The last two season series between these teams have resulted in sweeps. Houston won all four meetings last season, and Memphis took all four in 2005-06.