Key players sidelined create seismic shifts. Understand how these absences reshape strategies and determine the Rockets vs. Grizzlies matchup.
On Monday, January 26, the Houston Rockets (27-16) are back home to face the Memphis Grizzlies (18-25) at the Toyota Center.
When: Monday, January 26 @ 7:00 PM CT
Where: Toyota Center, Houston
Where to watch:
Space City Home Network (local)
NBA League Pass (with subscription)
Fubo (with subscription)
Subject to local blackouts
Rockets vs. Grizzlies Injury Report:
Keep this list handy. These injuries carry real on-court consequences.
Houston:
Probable: Aaron Holiday (back)
Out: Steven Adams (ankle)
Out: Fred VanVleet (ACL)
Memphis:
Questionable: Santi Aldama (knee)
Out: Ja Morant (elbow; UCL)
Out: Brandon Clarke (calf)
Out: Zack Edey (ankle)
Out: Ty Jerome (calf)
Out: Jock Landele (personal)
Out: Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe surgery)
For Houston, the absences are familiar- and instructive.
Steven Adams remains sidelined, which keeps the Rockets operating without their most reliable source of interior physicality and screening. That responsibility continues to fall on Alperen Şengün, who has shown he can shoulder the workload, but it changes how Houston has to manage the paint over 48 minutes. The margin for foul trouble tightens, and rebounding becomes a collective job instead of a luxury.
Fred VanVleet’s absence is no longer new, but it still shapes everything. Houston has settled into its post-FVV identity, leaning more heavily on pace control, defensive activity, and shared ball-handling. When that discipline holds, the offense flows. When it slips, turnovers and rushed possessions creep in.
Aaron Holiday’s probable status helps stabilize the guard rotation, especially against a Memphis team that can pressure the ball despite its own absences.
Memphis, meanwhile, arrives significantly shorthanded.
With Ja Morant out and multiple frontcourt pieces unavailable, the Grizzlies are missing both their primary creator and much of their interior depth. That forces them into a more fragmented offensive approach- one that relies on ball movement, effort plays, and trying to manufacture chaos rather than dictate rhythm. It also leaves them vulnerable on the glass, an area where Houston can quietly tilt the game if it stays disciplined.
The implication is simple: this game will be decided less by who’s missing and more by who respects the margins.
Houston has already seen how quickly games slip when execution wavers. Against a depleted Memphis roster, the challenge isn’t talent- it’s focus and consistency in the mundane. Protect possessions. Rebound with intent. Avoid unnecessary fouls. If the Rockets treat this injury report as leverage instead of noise, this is a game they should control from the start.