The Oklahoma City Thunder have accelerated such a winning pace that all they have left to do is fight for the rest of the positions in the West. The Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies are best suited to fill these direct access positions. Two relatively young projects which slipped into the elite without making too much noise.
Date and time of the Rockets vs. Grizzlies
Date: January 13, 2025 in the United States, early morning on the 14th in Spain.
Hour: These are the start times for the Rockets vs. Grizzlies by time zone.
| Spain (peninsula), France and Italy | 02:00 |
| Dominican Republic, United States (Boston, New York and Miami), Puerto Rico and Venezuela | 20:00 |
| Mexique (center), El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua | 19:00 |
| Mexico (Pacific) and United States (Los Angeles) | 17:00 |
| Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay | 22:00 |
| Colombia, Ecuador, United States (Chicago and Texas), Peru and Panama | 20:00 |
Seat: Centre Toyota (Houston, Texas).
Rockets Quintets Vs. Grizzlies
Jabari Smith Jr. will be out for over a month with his wrist injury.
| Rockets | Grizzlies |
| Fred VanVleet | ja morant |
| Vert Jalen | Desmond Scourge |
| Amen Thompson | Jayson Wells |
| Dillon Creeks | Jaren Jackson Jr. |
| Alperen Sengun | Zach Edey |
Latest news for the Rockets: injuries and form
In addition to the aforementioned Smith Jr. case, Tari Eason was listed as “questionable.”
Only four days ago, the Rockets clearly beat Memphis at home. Today they receive them at the Toyota Center. Last Thursday’s match (Friday early morning in Spain) was marked by the return of Ja Morant, frankly bad. Typically, a few Grizzlies were seen scattered on both sides of the track.
The Rockets have changed a bit in this sequence without Jabari Smith Jr. His absence means the entry of Amen Thompson, who must be close to the ball in attack and take advantage of transitions to shine. The winger is an elite defender and does a lot of things well in attack, but he reduces the space in midfield a bit despite his continued offering without the ball.
Indeed, Houston no longer played a match, due to the suspension of its match against the Clippers due to the fires ravaging Los Angeles. Tonight the Grizzlies will surely be different, starting with Ja Morant. And they may have adjusted for the blood loss that led to the game ending in the first half.
Player to watch: Alperen Sengün
The Turkish center caused real destruction to the Grizzlies in the first half. In which he scored 20 of his 32 points. Sengün started most of his attacks away from the rim to attack Zach Edey with space and fend off the iron giant. Result? An 8 out of 11 with a shot card dotted with layups.
Latest news for the Grizzlies: Injuries and form
Jay Huff will be doubtful and Marcus Smart will be out. The point guard is expected to return on January 20 once his broken finger heals.
-The Grizzlies relied too much on their big names the other day, being a team that grows a lot from their secondaries. Zach Edey has struggled a lot, but his presence makes Jaren Jackson Jr.’s life much easier in the interior score. Even with those, the 2023 Defender of the Year is expected to play many minutes as the sole benchmark.
Memphis has one of the best benches in the competition and the Rockets bench has been left unattended without Tari Eason and with the jump of Thompson into the starting five. This is the obvious advantage that those from Tennessee have. Which, on the other hand, seems to be a bad match for the Rockets.
Player to watch: Ja Morant
Ja Morant was just as bad against Minnesota as he was against Houston, but he sealed his team’s victory with two incredible plays in the last two possessions. He is one of the most decisive players on the planet and is little affected by what happened during the match. It is to be hoped that over the course of the meetings, they will be reunited, regardless of the dismissal.
Rockets vs. Grizzlies: Match History
Of the 69 wins in 116 games that the Rockets have accumulated against the Grizzlies, five have come in the last 6 games. Ime Udoka seems to have the tuition for Taylor Jenkins’ team. Last year could be explained by the tragedy experienced in Memphis with the victims. This course has fewer excuses. They have never met in the playoffs.
Rockets versus Grizzlies predictions
Press. Memphis is, by far, the most attacking team in transition in the entire league. More than 30 possessions per game end in steals. The sixth-place Rockets are at 22.8 per night, although those have increased due to rumors of Smith Jr.’s loss.
The minutes of Zach Edey. There are few starters in the league more connected to the context of the game than Zach Edey. The center is a differential piece in areas such as rebounding, blocking and defending near the basket. But he is also a very exploitable player as soon as he leaves his domain.
Taylor Jenkins knows this, who doesn’t hesitate to remove him when the game isn’t going his way. Jump rope with a 20 minute limit. He plays 21 a night and stopped at 17 the other day against Houston.
Memphis, the last survivor. The Grizzlies are the only team in the entire NBA to remain in the top five defensively and offensively. Thunder, Celtics and Cavaliers had already flirted with this honor.
Where to watch Rockets vs. Grizzlies
The match between the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies can be seen in Spain through the NBA League Pass subscription.
(Cover photo: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images)
