Rockets 107, Grizzlies 91
MEMPHIS -- James Harden scored 25 points and Terrence Jones added 20 off the bench to lead the Houston Rockets to their fourth straight win, 107-91 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
The victory gave the Rockets (20-19) their first win in three tries against the Grizzlies (21-19) this season.
The Rockets connected on 18 3-pointers, including four by Harden, and enjoyed a decisive edge on the board to snap their losing streak against Memphis.
The Grizzlies entered the game having averaged 50 rebounds in back-to-back wins over Denver and Boston. They didn't approach that number against the Rockets. Houston out-rebounded Memphis, 42-31.
Center Dwight Howard finished with a game-high 14 rebounds for the Rockets and added 17 points for a double-double.
The Grizzlies, who saw their two-game win streak end, were playing short-handed. Starting guard Mike Conley missed his fourth straight game because of an Achilles tendon injury and starting forward Matt Barnes sat out with a thumb injury.
Marc Gasol paced Memphis with 20 points and Tony Allen scored 17.
Houston shot better from beyond the arc (18 of 35 for 51.4 percent) than it did overall (33 of 77 for 42.9 percent).
Trailing by seven at the half, the Grizzlies used a 13-2 run to open the third quarter to take a 57-53 lead.
Much like they did in the first half, the Rockets used a flurry of 3-pointers to reclaim the lead. Houston made four 3-poinnters in the final seven minutes of the quarter and led, 72-69, entering the final period.
In the fourth quarter, the Rockets used a 14-2 run to pull away. The run gave Houston a 97-85 lead with three minutes to go.
The Grizzlies struggled on the boards in the first half and trailed, 51-44, at the break. Memphis was outrebounded, 24-13, as Gasol was limited to two rebounds in 18 minutes and Jeff Green had none in 15 minutes.
Despite the lopsided rebounding advantage (11-3) by the Rockets in the opening quarter, the Grizzlies led, 24-22.
In the second quarter, the Rockets used a 29-14 run to build a 13-point advantage. Houston connected on five 3-pointers in the quarter, including two by reserve Marcus Thornton.
Thornton finished with 16 as the Houston bench scored 45 points.
The Grizzlies' halftime deficit could have been larger if not for a 30-foot jumper at the buzzer from Courtney Lee. Lee raced down court after an Allen steal and lofted an off-balance jumper as time expired.
NOTES: Grizzlies F Zach Randolph is becoming a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. Randolph entered Tuesday's game with 14 appearances off the bench in 34 games. He needs to play more than half of his games as a reserve to qualify. He entered Tuesday averaging 17.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in the past 10 games. ... Rockets G Ty Lawson served the final game of a three-game league suspension Tuesday. His suspension stems from a DUI arrest in California in July. ... Grizzlies F Matt Barnes missed the game because of right thumb injury he sustained Sunday in Memphis' win over Boston. G Mike Conley missed his fourth consecutive game due to a left Achilles injury. ... The Rockets entered Tuesday's game with a 2-8 record at FedExForum in the past 10 trips.