Kevin Lowry guides Houston Rockets to 127-111 win over Memphis Grizzlies
Kyle Lowry nailed a career-high 28 points and matched his career best with 12 assists as Houston Rockets sailed past Memphis Grizzlies with a 127-111 win at the FedEx Forum on Friday night.
Rockets have won the last five encounters between the two franchises by double digits and this time was not different.
They came into the match on the back of a moral boosting victory over the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers and their confidence was evident on the court.
Rockets made nearly 60 percent of their shots with Kevin Martin adding 28 points and Brad Miller shot 7-for-7 complemented with 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to finish with a season-high 23 points in Houston's sixth straight win over Memphis.
In a match that saw six Houston players featuring in the double figures, Courtney Lee scored 16 while Luis Scola chipped in with 15 points as Houston Rockets ripped in an awesome sixteen 3-pointers, their highest of the season.
127 points are the highest the Grizzlies have allowed an opponent all season long and they were under immense pressure right from the start.
Houston rocketed their first six three pointer as they opened a six point lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back from there on.
Grizzlies vociferously tried to catch the Rockets but failed to match the intensity of their opponents. Rockets pulled off a 7-0 spurt midway through the second quarter to build a 10 point advantage as the teams went into the break with the score at 69-60.
Grizzlies came within a striking distance at 68-74 early in the third quarter but Rockets outscored them 13-6 within a span of four minutes, as they started to pull away with the match.
Memphis though weren’t willing to let go that easily and netted six consecutive points in the final minute of the third quarter to make it an eight point game going into the final 12 minutes.
Rudy g*y hit a Turnaround Fade Away shot and Marc Gasol followed it with a Running Bank shot as Grizzlies slashed the deficit to 94-98 with 10:25 left on the clock.
This was the closest the Grizzlies got to the Rockets as Brad Miller put a halt to their surge by slipping in two insuring 3-pointers. Houston maintained a tight leash on the Grizzlies thereafter as they cruised to a 127-111 win.
Memphis' offense shot at a decent 52 percent but could not match the shooting prowess of the Rockets on the night. Houston found the net with an accuracy of 59.5 percent and nearly 70 percent from down town.
Rudy g*y returned to his scoring ways finishing with a match high 29 points on a 9-for-13 shooting while Marc Gasol had 20 points, 5 assists and 7 rebounds. Mike Conley chipped in with 19 points and Zach Randolph had 14 but their endeavours were not enough
to help Grizzlies cross the line.
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