Rockets at Grizzlies
Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff was victorious in his debut and looks to
make it two straight when the Houston Rockets visit the
Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Bickerstaff and the Rockets posted a
108-103 overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday -
hours after the club fired Kevin McHale.
The Rockets have been floundering all season and look nothing like the squad that advanced to the Western Conference finals last season, and McHale became the scapegoat for the poor play. Veteran swingman Corey Brewer made it clear that the players were part of the problem too. "We are responsible. Coach (McHale) can't make us play hard," Brewer told reporters. "That's up to us. It's got to be a wakeup call. We've got to get better." Memphis got off to its own rough start at 3-6 but has won its last three games.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (5-7): Star guard James Harden helped Houston end a four-game losing streak by putting up 45 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and a season-best five steals against Portland. Harden scored 26 of the points in the fourth quarter and overtime and admitted he did some soul-searching after learning of McHale's firing. "Something had to change and I felt like for me, I had to change in order for us to be more positive, get more energy," Harden said afterward. "Whatever happened (with McHale), my mindset coming in was just to be great at what I do, and that's being a leader and bringing great support on the team."
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (6-6): Memphis is averaging 112.3 points during its winning streak and posted a season best for points in Tuesday's 122-114 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Recently acquired guard Mario Chalmers has made an immediate impact by averaging 18.7 points in his first three games and he scored a season-high 29 points in the win over the Thunder. "And he doesn't know the plays yet," center Marc Gasol told reporters. "Imagine when he knows the plays."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split last season's four meetings.
2. Memphis F Jeff Green notched his first two 20-point outings of the season in the last two contests.
3. Houston rookie F Sam Dekker (back) will undergo surgery on Friday and miss approximately three months.