Dominant win caps hot streak! Rockets steamroll Grizzlies, heading into playoffs with momentum for their Lakers showdown.
The Houston Rockets wrapped up the regular season on Sunday at home, destroying the Grizzlies 132-101.
Houston pulled off a full-game statement to cap a stretch that’s turned into ten wins in their last eleven.
The five seed is locked, and the first-round matchup is set against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, April 18. And if there was any question about how this group wanted to head into the playoffs, it got answered Sunday night.
Memphis came out swinging, riding a quick shooting burst and forcing early turnovers. There was some back-and-forth in the first with a handful of lead changes and just enough chaos to keep the stadium entertained for 12 minutes, but it didn’t last.
A 10-0 run to close the first bled into complete control in the second, and from there, it kept building. The Grizzlies Whitehead, who made four of his five attempts from deep, went ice cold and didn’t make another three all night.
Second chances stacked and Houston dominated the glass in true Rockets fashion. The Rockets finished with a clear edge in offensive rebounds that would ultimately cause the Grizzlies downfall. Houston outrebounded Memphis 64-37, including a staggering 21 on offense.
The star of the show that night was Clint Capela. He finished with a 23-point, 13-rebound double-double and even knocked down the first three of his career after going 0-for-8 in his tenure. That moment alone told you everything about how this one was going.
There were accuracy issues across the board for both teams. But the rest of the Rockets second unit did show up with balanced scoring throughout 48 minutes, while the Grizzlies leaned almost exclusively on Whitehead and Rayan Rupert all night, who combined for 47.
Small showed up in the second half, scoring 14 of his 18 points, but by then it was already looking pretty bad for Memphis. The Grizzlies entered the break at a 21-point deficit, and the lack of energy made it clear that the game was already over.
Reed Sheppard- the only Rocket to appear in all 82 games this season- stayed aggressive, hit from deep, and added a highlight dunk to top it off. Tari Eason brought his usual energy, while JD Davison flirted with a double-double of his own, nabbing ten rebounds and adding nine to the scoreboard.
Unlike we’ve seen in previous weeks, mistakes were limited - just 11 Houston turnovers all night.
Memphis completed their season with an eight game losing streak. All they really had to show for on Sunday was one hot start from deep that faded quickly, and from there, it was pretty much all Rockets.
The regular season is done, and Houston heads into the playoffs looking exactly like a team that’s ready for it.