Rockets at Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are fourth in the league in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 33.5 percent from beyond the arc, and will put that defense to the test when they host the Houston Rockets on Friday. The Rockets lead the NBA in 3-point attempts (38.9 per game) and are sixth in accuracy while shooting 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Houston had a 10-game winning streak come to an end against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday but got right back into the win column while going 18-of-38 from 3-point range in a 125-111 win at Phoenix on Wednesday. The Rockets went 6-of-38 from 3-point range on Tuesday, including a combined 2-of-19 from James Harden and Eric Gordon before the two bounced back to lead the way on Wednesday. The Grizzlies held the Detroit Pistons to 6-of-23 from beyond the arc in a 98-86 win on Wednesday to snap a three-game slide, but it was on the offensive end where center Marc Gasol impressed by tying a career high with 38 points. "That's his level," Memphis coach David Fizdale told reporters of Gasol. "He's a great player and I'm always going to continue to challenge him to be the best."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN Southeast (Memphis)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (22-8): Harden is an MVP candidate but his backcourt partner, Patrick Beverley, might be the second-most important player on the team. Houston is 16-3 with Beverley in the lineup, and he came up just short of a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Wednesday's triumph while playing his usual tough defense. "I read a quote from Patrick Beverley; said he's the best defender in the league and he compared himself to Gary Payton," Phoenix coach Earl Watson told the Houston Chronicle. "That's pretty impressive. For a guy to even take that stand when you feel like defense is kind of seldom talked about individually anymore in the NBA, for a guy to still believe that way, it's pretty impressive."
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (19-12): Gasol went 14-of-17 from the floor in Wednesday's win after shooting a combined 29 percent from the floor in the previous three games. "My teammates were finding me and we were patient," Gasol told reporters. "I thought we did a good job of executing and being patient with the offense. I thought we did a good job." Gasol is adding 3-point shooting to his game in his first season under Fizdale and went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc on Wednesday to improve to 46 made 3-pointers on the season - 34 more than the total from his first eight seasons in the NBA.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies PG Mike Conley is shooting 28.6 percent from the floor in four games since returning from a back injury.
2. Rockets PF Montrezl Harrell matched a season high with 17 points on Wednesday and is shooting 66.7 percent from the field this month.
3. The teams split four meetings last season, with Houston winning once in Memphis - 107-91 on Jan. 12.