The Sports Xchange
Oct 23, 2017
HOUSTON -- Mike Conley keyed a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to help the Memphis Grizzlies rally for a 98-90 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night at Toyota Center.
Conley entered the fourth quarter with just five points after missing all five shots from the field. But with the Rockets (3-1) leading 88-78 just past the midpoint of the fourth quarter, he sandwiched two 3-pointers around a three-point play from James Ennis III on which Conley provided the assists.
The second Conley trey matched the Grizzlies' biggest lead at 94-90.
Memphis closed the game on a 20-2 run. Houston went 5 of 19 from the field in the fourth quarter.
Marc Gasol paced the Grizzles (3-0) with 26 points. Conley added 17 points and four assists. Ennis chipped in a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
Eric Gordon led Houston with 27 points and added seven assists. His backcourt partner, James Harden, posted 22 points and eight assists but also registered a game-high seven turnovers.
Gasol was a force in the first half, but the Grizzlies' woeful perimeter shooting somewhat negated his handiwork.
Memphis misfired on all seven of its 3-point attempts before intermission and its inability to evenly distribute its offense allowed Houston to push through a sluggish second quarter from Harden, at least until he closed the half with a flourish.
While Gordon largely carried the Rockets in the first half, Harden didn't come alive until the final minute, burying a 3 with 27 seconds left for a seven-point lead before beating the buzzer with a driving layup that left Houston ahead 57-50 at the break.
Gordon and Harden combined for 30 points and 10 assists at intermission to offset Gasol, who had 18 points at the break.
NOTES: While not playing under a specified minutes restriction, Grizzlies F Chandler Parsons was limited to 15 minutes in each of the first two games and logged 15 minutes and had five points with three rebounds against the Rockets. Memphis coach David Fizdale anticipates keeping Parsons in that range for the foreseeable future. ... Rockets F Ryan Anderson was listed as questionable with lower back pain but started and logged 31 minutes, posting five points and six rebounds. ... Rockets G James Harden was named Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 27.7 points, nine rebounds and four assists as Houston went 3-0. Harden has earned the honor 14 times.