Key Stat of the Night
- The Grizzlies went on a 9-1 run over 4:16 of play (5:53 to 1:37) late in the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 116-107. The Rockets would not pull within 5 for the rest of the match.
Key Run of the Night
- Memphis outshot Houston percentage-wise from the field 54.1% (46-85 FG), to 42.6% (40-94 FG) respectively.
Game Recap
Stellar performances from Jonas Valanciunas and De'Anthony Melton fueled the Memphis Grizzlies’ 120-110 comeback victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Valanciunas' 30 points and 15 rebounds gave him his 31st double-double of the season and Melton scored a season-high 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting off the bench. Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane had 17 points each and Ja Morant scored 12 points to go with eight assists and five rebounds.
The Grizzlies limited John Wall to nine points on 2-for-12 shooting from the field. Kelly Olynyk (25 points) and Jae'Sean Tate (24 points) were the main creators for the Rockets.
Houston jumped out to an early lead with a 15-4 run in the first quarter sparked by 11 points from Olynyk. The Rockets got to the foul line often, shooting 9-for-11 on free throws in the opening frame while the Grizzlies bench provided eight points after Grayson Allen came out of the game with hip soreness after a hard fall.
The Grizzlies used a 14-6 run to even the score, 57-57, at the end of the first half. Olynyk paced the Rockets with 15 points and six rebounds and Valanciunas had 14 points and five rebounds. Bane scored 10 points off the bench on 4-for-6 shooting.
Just as it looked like the Rockets were ready to pull away for an easy win, the Grizzlies roared back at the end of the third quarter with a 10-2 run using an offensive burst from Melton to bring the Rockets’ lead down to 91-90 with one quarter remaining.
A 16-6 run from the Grizzlies punctuated a back-and-forth final quarter as Memphis put away the Rockets and moved to back to .500.
Next Game
The Grizzlies return to FedExForum to host the Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, March 31 at 7 p.m. CT.
Player Notes
- With the win tonight, the Grizzlies take the season series over the Rockets 2-1, marking their first series win since 2012-13. Houston falls to 2-3 over its past five games while Memphis has won four of its past six games after losing four of its previous five.
- Memphis scored 120 points tonight. The Grizzlies are 10-1 when scoring 120+ points this season.
- The Grizzlies scored 20 fast break points. The Rockets are allowing an average of 17.8 fast break points over the past five games, up from 11.7 the six games prior. Opponents have scored 20+ fast break points in two of the past three games after not doing so in any of the 11 games prior.
- Jonas Valanciunas had a season-high 30 points with 15 rebounds, marking his 31st double-double of the season. He has grabbed 10+ boards in each of the past 14 games, tying for the second-longest single season streak in franchise history (Zach Randolph with 18 games from 12/9/14-1/31/15 and 14 games from 1/4-1/29/11).
- De'Anthony Melton had 23 points in 28 minutes of play off the bench. It is his third time scoring 20+ points this season. Melton, who was drafted by Houston in 2018, averaged 15.0 ppg on 55.6% shooting against the Rockets this season.
Grizzlies E-News
Sign up for Grizzlies E-News for the latest team news, promotions, contests and ticket offers delivered directly to your in-box.
Connect With Us
Join the conversation about the teams plus enjoy exclusive behind the scenes video and more.
Get the App
Download or Update the Official Grizzlies App
