James Harden's 32 pushes Rockets past Grizzlies
James Harden finished with 32 points and recorded 10 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a close victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, 117-111. Houston (21-7) has now won seven of their last 10 games.
Harden finished 10-17 from the field (2-4 on 3-pointers) and 10-11 from the free throw line, in a quality offensive outing. He tallied eight rebounds and three blocks as well. Other top contributors for Houston included Josh Smith with 21 points and eight rebounds, and Trevor Ariza with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Marc Gasol had another big game for Memphis in the loss, scoring 29 points on 12-21 shooting from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. He also recorded eight rebounds. Mike Conley added 11 points and seven assists and Tony Allen finished with 10 points and six assists.
The Grizzlies posted an eFG% of just 44.7%, including 29.2% from 3-point range. This year, they are 3-3 when they record marks below 45% and 30% in those respective categories. On the other hand, the Rockets are 7-1 when holding their opponents to such low percentages.
Memphis (21-8) has now lost four consecutive games.
Coming up next, the Rockets square off against the San Antonio Spurs, who are 18-13 on the year. The Grizzlies go up against the Miami Heat, currently 14-16 this season. The Rockets have a 1-0 record against San Antonio this season. The Grizzlies have a 1-0 record against Miami this season.
