The Rockets moved to 2-0 in preseason play after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies at home thanks to relentless defensive energy and contributions from the bench.
Trevor Ariza reintroduced himself to Houston with 3 quick steals in the first quarter, setting the tone for Houston's early tenacity.
"We came out aggressively on defense, which is something we've been talking about...we wanted to come out and have a strong defensive presence early" Ariza said.
James Harden also had his shot working, scoring 14 of his game-high 21 by the break, but the defense kept the pace and held Memphis to only 35 points in the first two quarters.
After some turnover issues in the third, Houston let Memphis trim its lead (which got as high as 27) down to single digits, but Tarik Black and Jeff Adrien stepped up in Dwight Howard's (knee) absence, owning the boards and getting easy buckets to put Houston in control for good. Black finished with the game's only double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.
"[Tarik Black] plays hard and gets rebounds. It didn't really show in the Dallas game, but tonight it did." Coach Kevin McHale said.
The Rocket have the day off Friday before returning to prepare for their third preseason game Monday at home against Phoenix.