MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- On opening night at FedEx Forum, fans booed forward Chandler Parsons. They were upset that he averaged only 6.2 points last year in just 34 games, his first season in Memphis after signing a four-year, $94 million contract.

So when he had a tough start in the first game of this season, even missing four of his five free throws, the fans got a little rough.

But on Saturday night, Parsons delivered 24 points as the Grizzlies defeated the Houston Rockets 103-89.

It was an echo to the magical game Parsons had with the Rockets against the Grizzlies in 2014, hitting a record 10 threes in one half as he scored 34 points.

"That was awesome," Parsons said after going 9-of-11 from the floor against Houston and 6-for-8 from 3-point range. "I've been waiting on tonight for a really long time."

Last season, he never scored more than 14 points in a game. He was sometimes very hesitant to even shoot a 3 and was never fully healthy, playing on bad knees as his season ended early with another surgery.

Asked how long it had been since he felt that good on a basketball court, Parsons immediately referenced the 10 3s in a half against the Grizzlies.

"That was when I was on the Rockets and played (Memphis) and felt like I was throwing a rock into an ocean," he said. "It was a very similar feeling. Just glad we won this game because I remember we lost that one."

Forward Ryan Anderson led Houston with 22 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and guard James Harden had 20 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Memphis (5-1) also beat the Rockets (5-2) in Houston 98-90 on Monday. The Rockets were on the second night of a back-to-back and without Chris Paul (knee) and Eric Gordon (stomach virus).

"No excuse, give them credit," said Houston coach Mike D'Antoni. "But having said that, I thought we ran out of steam. We've got a lot of guys playing a lot of minutes. We lost our legs. James got tired ... on to the next game."

Said Harden: "We just didn't have any pop today. They came out with aggressiveness and they made shots. They played well."

The Grizzlies carried an 81-72 lead into the fourth quarter, fueled by 14 points from Parsons as he hit all four treys he attempted in the third quarter. Memphis pulled away in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 19 points.

Bench scoring was lopsided as Memphis got 67 points from its reserves, including 15 from Mario Chalmers and 14 from Tyreke Evans. The Rockets only had 25 points from their bench, led by guard Bobby Brown with 11 points. Starting center Clint Capela finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Point guard Mike Conley (eight points, three assists) and center Marc Gasol (six points, six rebounds and five assists) usually lead the Grizzlies in scoring, but went a combined 5-for-18 from the floor.

"It's a big impact and takes a lot of pressure off our starting five," Chalmers said of the second unit's play. "It gives them nights if they don't have it going, they don't have to press because they know we've got their back."

The Rockets shot 37.7 percent from the floor and went 14-for-38 from 3-point range. Memphis shot 47.1 percent from the field while going 14-for-33 from distance for 42.4 percent. The 89 points by Houston were the fewest ever under D'Antoni.

Memphis coach David Fizdale was more than pleased to see Parsons have a breakout game. His 24 points set a franchise record for the most in under 20 minutes of court time.

"This was his moment tonight," Fizdale said. "He deserved it. Don't worry about what fans think about you or what other people are saying about you. Just think about your team. Get into your team and help us win. He's really embraced that."

NOTES: After missing two games with a midfoot sprain, Houston F Trevor Ariza played almost 36 minutes Saturday and scored 10 points with seven rebounds and five assists. .... Memphis has the NBA's best field-goal percentage defense at home (42.6 percent) since the start of the 2016-17 season. ... Houston F Nene returned to action after missing two games because of left Achilles soreness and finished with four points. ... Grizzlies C Marc Gasol has as many games of 25-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in the first six games (three) of this season as he had in the previous two seasons combined (126 games total).