Rockets 93, Grizzlies 86: Chandler Parsons scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half and Omri Casspi scored 11 of his 16 after the break as Houston rebounded from a sluggish first half to snap a streak of five straight losses in Memphis.
Dwight Howard collected 15 points and seven rebounds and Jeremy Lin chipped in 14 points for the Rockets, who have won five of their last six. Houston shot 62.2 percent in the second half as it rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit.
Tayshaun Prince scored 16 points and Tony Allen added 15 to go with six steals for Memphis, which has dropped two straight following a four-game winning streak. Zach Randolph had 13 points and six rebounds for the Grizzlies, snapping his streak of six straight double-doubles.
The Grizzlies dominated on the glass early and broke open a close game with a 10-0 run to close the first half, taking a 44-32 advantage to the break. Houston's offense struggled to get going without leading scorer James Harden, shooting 34.4 percent in the first half and going 1-for-11 from 3-point range.
The Rockets began to warm up in the third quarter and pulled within 63-55 on Aaron Brooks' 3-pointer with 1:01 left in the period, then took off on a 12-0 spurt early in the fourth to claim their first lead since it was 6-4. The Grizzlies never regained the lead as Houston made six straight field-goal attempts while stretching the margin to 85-76.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Harden missed his second consecutive game with a foot injury. … Brooks, who scored 26 points in Houston's previous game, finished with three points on 1-of-6 shooting before leaving with a bruised thigh. … Grizzlies C Kosta Koufos, making his first start for injured Marc Gasol (knee), had eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Houston | Memphis | |
Chandler Parsons 17 | Scoring | Tayshaun Prince 16 |
Patrick Beverley 2 | Assists | Mike Conley 10 |
Omer Asik 10 | Rebounds | Kosta Koufos 13 |
Omri Casspi 6 | Free Throws Made | Mike Conley 5 |
Francisco Garcia 2 | Steals | Tony Allen 6 |
Francisco Garcia 2 | Blocks | Tony Allen 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Houston | 93 | 49.3 | 6-24 | 19-27 | 12 | 43 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
Memphis | 86 | 41.5 | 4-13 | 14-18 | 22 | 35 | 7 | 12 | 16 |