Goran Dragic leads Houston Rockets past Memphis Grizzlies 98 – 89 – NBA Recap
The Houston Rockets had to battle hard on Monday but managed to get the win over Memphis Grizzlies in the end. Grizzlies put in a rugged display at the Toyota Center but the Rockets did not back down either and garnered a 98 – 89 victory.
Point guard Goran Dragic was the key man for Houston on the night. Dragic has been in fine form throughout this NBA season and turned in a star performance, 25 points and 7 assists, to help his side to the win.
Goran’s partner in the backcourt, Courtney Lee, also played a part with 17 points while Marcus Camby was a force on the glass, finishing the game with 16 boards.
Rudy g*y led the Grizzlies charge with 20 points and Marc Gasol provided 19. Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo netted 15 apiece.
Houston started the game with a 9 – 0 blitz to get control of the first quarter. Although Memphis soon made it 11 – 8, the Rockets still had the momentum and pressed on to end the quarter up at 30 – 19.
A 6 – 0 burst to open the second segment put the Rockets further ahead, 36 – 19. The Grizzlies however launched into a furious 14 – 2 rally, cutting the gap down to 38 – 33. They went on to level the scores 48 – 48 before the home side finished just ahead
at 49 – 48.
The Grizzlies however couldn’t carry their momentum in the second half and the Rockets slowly pulled away after the break. They added some breathing space in the third quarter, 74 – 69, that put them in a good position to get the win.
Try as they might, Memphis were not able to overcome the Rockets in the final 12 minutes. In fact, Houston were able to exploit the away side and increased their lead before the game came to an end at 98 – 89.
"We just couldn't get a stop when we needed. We couldn't get a key stop, a key rebound or a key loose ball down the stretch. ... We have to be more alert on the defensive end of the court." Grizzlies guard Tony Allen opined after the game, reflecting on
the poor defence late on.
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