Grizzlies at Rockets
The Memphis Grizzlies look to get back on track when they visit the Houston Rockets in a Southwest Division showdown on Wednesday. The Grizzlies have dropped three of their last four games and struggled mightily in the 93-82 loss to the Utah Jazz without Tony Allen (suspension) and Zach Randolph (illness) in the lineup. Memphis has seen its lead over the Rockets dwindle to 1 1/2 games atop the division and hopes to avoid losing back-to-back games for the second time in a week.
Houston missed a golden opportunity to play for the division lead Wednesday after running out of gas in the 104-96 setback to the Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets saw their five-game winning streak come to end when it blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter without their star James Harden, who was serving a one-game suspension for kicking LeBron James in the groin. Houston has won five straight at home and hopes to continue the trend by beating Memphis for the third consecutive time.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Memphis), ROOT (Houston)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (42-17): Courtney Lee led the way with 18 points and Marc Gasol added 17 points and eight rebounds as Memphis couldn't overcome 3-of-11 shooting from 3-point range in the loss to the Jazz. Kosta Koufas was handed a rare start with Randolph out, and he was limited to six points on 3-of-10 shooting but did secure a team-high 10 rebounds. Allen was suspended one game by Memphis for violating team policy and is expected to suit up Wednesday while Randolph's availability is uncertain.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (41-19): Jason Terry knocked down four 3-pointers en route to a season-high 21 points off the bench in the loss to the Hawks. Terrence Jones continued his stellar play by adding 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots to finish in double figures for the fifth straight time since being inserted into the starting lineup Feb. 23. Harden leads the league in scoring with 27.1 points and was forced to miss his first game of the season after the NBA reviewed the incident with James and handed down a verdict.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets have won 15 of the last 17 meetings with the Grizzlies in Houston.
2. The Rockets are 13-2 in games decided by five points or fewer.
3. Memphis has been held to 90 points or fewer in four of its past five games.