Houston Rockets At Memphis Grizzlies: Game 47: Sneak Peek Analysis
The Houston Rockets got kicked down last night but will pull themselves up by the bootstraps.
The Houston Rockets got kicked down last night but will pull themselves up by the bootstraps.
There’s no doubt they’ll be ready to take on a healthy rival, the 26-19 Memphis Grizzlies.
What’s up next?
So who’s leading the charge for the Grizzlies?
Marc Gasol leads the team in scoring (19.8 PPG) and blocked shots (1.4 BPG). Zach Randolph is the top board-getter (8.2 BPG). Mike Conley is the top assist man (6.2 APG), Tony Allen holds the torch in steals (1.8 SPG).
Let’s talk about what the Grizzlies do well.
They’re still the defensive juggernauts. The Grizzlies are ranked 4th in defensive efficiency (allowing 104.9 points per 100 possessions).
They’re an excellent defensive rebounding team. The Grizzlies are 4th in the NBA as far as defensive rebound rate (78.7).
They don’t make too many mistakes with the basketball. The Grizzlies are tied for 7th — with the Orlando Magic — in turnover ratio, with 12.1 percent of their possessions ending in a turnover.
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Injuries:
Clint Capela collided into Karl-Anthony Towns Dec. 17th against the T-Wolves. He seemed to be in tremendous pain and could not walk on his own power to locker room.
It’s apparent that he has a minor fracture of his fibula and is expected to be out at least four weeks. Nene will have some big shoes to fill as Capela heals but the Rockets can press on without him.
Capela traveled with the team on this past road trip and his first full practice with the team went well Monday. It was pain-free so he did start in Tuesday’s game against Heat.
Capela is still on somewhat of a minutes-restriction but it remains to be seen if that will be the case tonight, he came off the bench Wednesday night with Montrezl Harrell and Corey Brewer being inserted into the lineup.
I’d expect this trend to continue until he feels acclimated to starting again.
Ryan Anderson has been battling the flu the past few days but it was finally to a point to where he couldn’t suit up the past few games. His status, of course, is day-to-day and he’s OUT for tonight as he didn’t travel with the team.
He tried to give it go last night but it was clearly obvious he wasn’t quite well to play, only taking in nine minutes of action.
As for the Grizzlies, Troy Daniels injured his knee earlier this week and has been ruled as a game-time decision for tonight.
Brandan Wright has suffered an ankle injury and is expected to be out at least another week.
Source(s): Houston Rockets, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, CSNBayArea.com
Matchups to Watch:
- Patrick Beverley vs. Mike Conley
- Montrezl Harrell vs. JaMychal Green
- James Harden vs. Tony Allen
- Clint Capela/Nene Hilario vs. Marc Gasol
Prediction:
111-107 in a Houston Rockets’ loss.
The Rockets hit the road to take on the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.
The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM Internet 890 and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!