The top spot in the Western Conference — and the Memphis' franchise-record 19-game home winning streak — will be on the line when the Grizzlies host the Houston Rockets in an early-season showdown Monday. The Grizzlies look to finish a sweep of their four-game homestand and remain unbeaten in the regular season at FedEx Forum since Feb. 11. Meanwhile, the Rockets are 6-0 on the road, matching their longest winning streak away from home since an eight-game stretch to start the 1996-97 season.
Both teams sit at 9-1 despite surviving some less-than-stellar performances, including Memphis' last-second win over Sacramento on Thursday and Houston's one-point win over winless Philadelphia on Friday and ugly 69-65 victory at Oklahoma City on Sunday. "I really don't think we have played really well, but tonight was definitely a step in the right direction," Memphis coach David Joerger told reporters after Saturday's 95-88 win over Detroit. "We know it's part of the process. It's a long season and we are in the West. Every possession matters; every game matters." This one feels bigger than most, as both teams appear poised to make a run at the Southwest Division title, if not the top seed in the Western Conference.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Houston, SportSouth (Memphis)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (9-1): Houston has endured two straight subpar games and is playing its third game in four days, which could be a recipe for disaster against a tough Memphis team. The Rockets will have to hope stars James Harden (25.5 points, 7.2 assists, 6.6 rebounds) and Dwight Howard (19.2 points, 11.6 rebounds) have enough in the tank, and they'll need guard Patrick Beverley to be able to play on consecutive nights after missing the previous four games with a strained hamstring. Forward Terrence Jones (14 points, 7.5 rebounds) also has been out with a knee injury.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (9-1): Memphis has a tremendous post duo in Marc Gasol (18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds) and Zach Randolph (16.7 points, 11.6 rebounds), which makes them one of the few teams that matches up well inside against Howard and the Rockets. The key to their success, though, might be point guard Mike Conley (16.7 points, six assists), who has picked up where he left off at the end of last year's strong campaign. Shooting guard Courtney Lee, who made the game-winning layup at the buzzer in the 26-point comeback win against Sacramento, is averaging 15.5 points on 53.3 percent shooting in six games since returning to the lineup Nov. 5.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Howard (102) and Randolph (99) rank first and second in the NBA in double-doubles since the start of the 2012-13 season.
2. The Rockets are a baffling 6-0 when committing more turnovers than the opposition.
3. Houston has shot 20.3 percent from 3-point range over the past two games after hitting 40.3 percent from behind the arc in its first eight games.