Grizzlies at Rockets
Houston will have had three full days of rest before a big matchup with first-place Memphis on Wednesday, but the Rockets seemingly are no closer to getting healthy. Star center Dwight Howard, who has missed six games with a knee injury since a loss to the Grizzlies on Nov. 17, remains doubtful despite being nearly two weeks removed from platelet-rich plasma therapy and undergoing on-court workouts for days. Point guards Patrick Beverley (hamstring) and Isaiah Canaan (ankle) are also doubtful.
The Rockets survived the many absences Saturday in Milwaukee, where they rode James Harden's 34 points, seven assists and four steals to a 117-103 win over the Bucks. The next night saw the Grizzlies put forth another dominant effort in a 97-85 win at Sacramento, pushing their overall winning streak to five games and improving to 3-0 on a four-game road trip. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol - who could have a field day without Howard in action - combined for 40 points and 18 rebounds as Memphis moved to 11-0 against the Western Conference.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, SportSouth, ROOT Sports Southwest
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (15-2): Memphis' average margin of victory during the five-game winning streak is 12.8 as the best start in franchise history has become downright dominant. That was certainly the case the first time these two teams met last month, when Mike Conley led seven players in double figures with 19 points and Harden was limited to a season-low six in the Grizzlies' 119-93 victory. Memphis has won three straight encounters while limiting Houston to an average of 89 points.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (13-4): The rash of injuries forced head coach Kevin McHale to give veteran Jason Terry his first start in the win over Milwaukee. The move paid off as Terry finished with season highs of 18 points and six rebounds in 35 minutes, making four 3-pointers to help fill the voids of Beverley and Canaan, who rank among the league leaders in long-range accuracy. "I have been in this league long enough to know that when I'm needed, when my name is called, I step up," Terry told the Houston Chronicle following the rout.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Memphis leads the league in scoring defense (92.4) while Houston is second (92.8).
2. Grizzlies SG Courtney Lee is averaging 16.3 points on 68 percent shooting in three games versus Houston since joining Memphis midway through last season.
3. Rockets SF Trevor Ariza is shooting 32.4 percent over his last nine games after a 5-for-18 effort against Milwaukee.
PREDICTION: Grizzlies 98, Rockets 96