Two of the frontrunners in the Western Conference of the NBA will do battle for the second time in five days as the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies go head-to-head at the Toyota Center on Tuesday.
The sides served up a thrilling encounter in their most recent meeting, which the Rockets just about managed to emerge victorious from, and the Grizzlies will have one eye on exacting revenge.
Match preview
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After finishing well adrift of playoff contention last time out, the Houston Rockets surprisingly made no significant additions during the off-season trade window, although it remained unclear how happy they were with their current roster.
A 12-6 record over their first 18 matches indicated Ime Udoka's men were ready to compete, and the Rockets have since gone from strength to strength, winning 13 of their subsequent 19 matches to sit second in the West.
Just behind them in the standings are the Grizzlies, who the Rockets overcame in their most recent outing at FedExForum on Friday thanks to Alperen Sengun's 32 points and 14 rebounds, both of which were game highs.
Having had their clash against the Atlanta Hawks initially scheduled for Saturday postponed due to a winter storm, the Rockets have been handed an additional period of rest ahead of a tough run of fixtures.
Following the close of action on Tuesday, the home side will head out for a three-game road trip, the first two of which are against the Denver Nuggets (third in the West) and a resurgent Sacramento Kings (ninth in the West).
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Like the Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies also endured an underwhelming season last time out but have overseen a remarkable turnaround approaching the midway point of the current campaign.
Taylor Jenkins's men have won 25 of their 39 matches so far—just two fewer victories than they managed throughout the entire 2023-24 season, where they finished bottom but two in the Western Conference.
Off the back of their defeat to the Rockets 48 hours prior, the Grizzlies played out another thrilling encounter against last year's conference finalists, the Minnesota Timberwolves, on Sunday at Target Center.
Tallying just 12 points on 5-19 shooting from the field, Ja Morant recorded his third-lowest scoring game this term, although the guard hit two clutch shots in the final minute to lead his side to a 127-125 victory.
Averaging more points per game than any other team in the NBA this season, Tuesday's visitors have been on a roll offensively all season long but are set to be extensively tested against the team currently giving up the third-fewest points per game.
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Team News
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Jabari Smith Jr suffered a broken left hand earlier this month and is unavailable for the Houston Rockets until the first week of February at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Tari Eason is a huge doubt for the home side here as he is yet to fully shake off a lower leg problem, which would have ruled him out of the game against the Hawks had it been held.
After managing just one 20-point game in his final four outings of 2024, Jalen Green has kicked off the New Year with five 20-point games in a row and is one to keep an eye on here.
Marcus Smart is making significant progress towards returning to action from a finger problem, but Tuesday's game is expected to come too soon for the veteran.
Guards Cam Spencer and Vince Williams Jr are also set to miss out on Tuesday due to thumb and ankle injuries respectively, although the former is closing in on making his comeback.
Houston Rockets possible starting five:
VanVleet, Green; Brooks, Thompson; Sengun
Memphis Grizzlies possible starting five:
Morant, Wells; Bane, Jackson Jr.; Edey
We say: Rockets to win by 4+ points
The Rockets showed great resilience to edge out the Grizzlies away from home on Friday, and having had an extended period of rest along with the added advantage of playing on their home court, we are backing them to come out on top.
Adepoju Marvellous
