Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets 2015-10-07

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Event
Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets

Date
Wed 7th October 2015 UTC

Timestamp

Time

00:00:00 UTC

Timezones
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24-04-18 17:00 (PST Los Angeles)
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24-04-18 19:00 (CST Chicago)
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24-04-18 20:00 (EST New York)
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24-04-19 01:00 (GMT London)
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24-04-19 02:00 (CET Paris)
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24-04-19 04:00 (GST Dubai)
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24-04-19 05:30 (IST Kolkata)
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24-04-19 09:00 (JST Tokyo)
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24-04-19 10:00 (AEDT Sydney)

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League
NBA

Season
2015-2016

Round
0

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		vs
	92 No timeline found..		89 No timeline found..

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Description

A strong third quarter performance and solid free throw shooting in the final minutes helped the Grizzlies overcome a halftime deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets 92-89 in both teams’ preseason opener at FedExForum on Tuesday evening.

After the Rockets tied the game at 86 with 2:03 remaining, Russ Smith, Lazeric Jones and Sampson Carter were a perfect 6-of-6 at the line to hold off Houston. The visitors had a chance to tie the game with four seconds left, but were unable to get off a shot.

Smith paced Memphis and tied for a game-high in points with 12, and also added three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Marc Gasol led the team with eight rebounds in a little under 16 minutes of action. Trevor Ariza led the Rockets with 12 points, while James Harden finished right behind him with 11 points. The stingy Grizzlies defense kept Harden in check beyond the arc, where he finished 1-of-7 in 21 minutes.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that offered six lead changes and three ties. The Grizzlies held an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Rockets chipped away in the second and used a 16-5 run to finish the half strong with a 48-43 advantage.

With the starters, save for Jeff Green, and many of the first players off of the bench resting after the opening 24 minutes, the second half was an opportunity for some of the younger guys to prove themselves, and Smith took advantage. The second-year guard scored 10 of his 12 points in the third quarter, including 6-7 from the line as the Grizzlies outscored the Rockets 30-17 in the third frame and took a 73-65 lead into the final quarter.

Smith’s first points of the game came four minutes into the third quarter, when he knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game at 56. He followed that up with a three-point play to give Memphis the lead after Green blocked a shot on the other end. Although the Rockets would eventually tie the game in the fourth, Memphis would never trail again.

The preseason opener also gave Memphis fans a chance to see veterans Matt Barnes and Brandan Wright put on a Grizzlies uniform for the first time. Wright put in a little more than a 17-minute shift and dropped in 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He got the crowd on its feet for the first time as a Grizzly at the beginning of the third quarter when he threw down an alley-oop pass from Vince Carter and also added a thunderous block in the same frame.

Memphis returns to action in the preseason with a matchup against Maccabi Haifa on Thursday night at FedExForum. It will be the second meeting between the hometown team and the visitors from Israel. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and fans can catch the action on 92.9 FM ESPN Radio.