Rockets 130, Grizzlies 81
HOUSTON -- Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley sparked an early 3-point barrage and the Houston Rockets cruised to a 130-81 victory over the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night at Toyota Center.
With Ariza and Beverley setting the pace by hitting 6 of 7 treys in the opening quarter, the Rockets (34-33) shot 16 of 33 from behind the arc. Ariza finished with 16 points, one of nine players to score in double figures for the Rockets, who led wire-to-wire against Memphis (39-28).
Beverley had 10 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals while Donatas Motiejunas added 18 points and six rebounds in his strongest showing since his deadline trade to the Pistons was revoked.
The Rockets ran roughshod from the opening tip despite lukewarm performances from James Harden and Dwight Howard, who were held without a basket in the opening quarter and finished with 15 and seven points, respectively. Harden added seven rebounds and eight assists; Howard supplied a team-high 13 rebounds and five blocked shots.
The Grizzlies trotted out a motley crew roster and trailed 21-6 less than five minutes into the contest. Matt Barnes keyed a mini 8-0 run with back-to-back 3s but Houston followed by stretching its lead to 31-16 before building an insurmountable cushion with an 8-0 spurt in the second that included a Jason Terry 3 and Motiejunas' three-point play.
Their bloated margin kept swelling, growing from 18 points to 56-32 when Harden followed an Ariza transition dunk with a 3 and a technical free throw. Memphis didn't have the bodies or experience to muster a counterattack, surrendering a 15-3 run early in the third capped by a Motiejunas 3-pointer that stretched the Rockets' advantage to 80-45.
Memphis, playing without regulars Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph, trailed by as many as 53 points. Barnes paced the starters with 14 points while adding seven rebounds. Jarell Martin and Alex Stepheson scored 17 and 12 points, respectively, in reserve, with Stepheson grabbing 15 boards. The Grizzlies committed 20 turnovers.
NOTES: Grizzlies G/F Vince Carter joined Memphis' extended list of unavailable players, sidelined by a left calf strain. Carter sat out against the Hawks on March 12, meaning Monday night marked the first time since mid-December that Carter missed consecutive games. ... Rockets F Michael Beasley didn't need long to find his groove after joining Houston in advance of its recent five-game road trip, averaging 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds against the Celtics and Hornets to complete the trip. "He has a knack to put the ball in the basket," Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Beasley. ... Grizzlies G/F Tony Allen averaged 15.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.25 steals in his first four games following an eight-game absence due to a sore left knee. Allen averaged 29.9 minutes during that stretch, eight-plus minutes more than his opening 24 games this season.