In the previous game, the Memphis Grizzlies, the most stunning dark horse team in the West this season, actually suffered a counterattack from the Atlanta Hawks. Although the Eagles were the dark horses of last season's playoffs, in the journey of this season, the Eagles did not continue to show their dark horse momentum in the playoffs, and once could only become a ladder for other teams to improve. There is a saying that goes against the current, and if you don't advance, you will retreat. In a co-operative environment, the Hawks still maintain last season's roster, which obviously does not work.
For the strength of that game, we definitely have reason to believe that the Grizzlies are lightly opposed. But in this game, the Grizzlies challenged the Houston Rockets away, but they did not save their strength and regained the momentum of their Western West dark horse. Without the superstar players who were proud of the past, the Rockets are currently in the rebuilding stage, and although they have also cultivated many high-quality players during the period, they have not been able to withstand the overwhelming Grizzlies. At the beginning of the game, the Grizzlies, who played on the road, took the lead in getting into the form, achieving a feat of domination.
Morant continued to be absent due to injury, Bane was able to deliver 8 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in the first quarter, and starting center Adams also had a comprehensive statistic of 3 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, helping the team to play a 30-21 score to get a nine-point lead. After taking the lead at the start, the Grizzlies, who entered the second quarter of the showdown, were able to take advantage of the situation and further widen the point difference between the two teams. Jones shot 100 percent from the field in the second quarter and delivered 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal to lead the team to a 26-23 score.
By the end of the first half, the Grizzlies were already 56-44 ahead of the Rockets by a crucial 12 points. The gap between the two teams has widened one after another, and the Grizzlies clearly have a better chance of winning the game. Although the Rockets, which fought at home, intended to counterattack, the results achieved were not ideal. Grizzlies starter Dillon scored nine points in the third quarter, and Substitute Melton also contributed nine points and one rebound to help the team play 28-27.
By the time they reached the crucial final showdown, the point difference between the two sides had widened to 13 points. It is worth affirming that the point difference between the two sides is not very large, but the Rockets have been beaten without the ability to fight back, and they have chosen to concede defeat in advance. That's right, their starters clocked in three consecutive quarters and sent rotating players for training in the crucial final quarter. However, in the face of the Rockets who conceded defeat in advance, the Grizzlies still had to kill people, still sending the team's starters to continue to play in the fourth quarter of the game.
In the end, after the regular time of the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies once again played a 38-27 score and completed a 24-point victory with a 122-98 score. Again, the Rockets, as a team in the rebuilding phase, the most important thing for them to do before they get back on track is to develop the players on the team, not to win. Obviously, the Rockets in this game fully accepted this reality, but in the end they had to encounter the crazy blows of the Grizzlies, and even the murderous heart of the key end, which was obviously painful.
The truth is always in the hands of the few, and this so-called minority is the strong with absolute strength. Looking back at the game, morant, the Grizzlies' star, did not play, but there were still 6 players on the team who scored in double digits. Among them, Bane sent 24 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in the 32 minutes of the game, and Dillon, who handed over 20 points and 4 rebounds. Looking back at the Rockets, who lost at home, the starters' statements were indeed not ideal, and only Wood and Porter Jr. scored barely to double digits. Instead, the team's substitute players Schroeder, Shin Kyung and Kenjan Martin Jr. can help the team relieve the scoring pressure one after another.