'They Made a Mistake!' Houston Rockets Dillon Brooks Gets Revenge vs. Grizzlies
Dillon Brooks vowed never to lose to the Memphis Grizzlies after his unpleasant departure in July. Friday night, Brooks improved to 3-0 against his former team following the Houston Rockets' 103-96 victory over the Grizzlies.
"I never want to lose to Memphis ever in my career," Brooks said. "Regardless of how we get it. I don't care if I have 20 or zero points — I want to win every time we play Memphis, just to let them know they made a mistake."
Brooks led the Rockets to a comeback victory with a season-high 26 points on 10 of 20 shooting. He scored 24 points during the second half to help the team overcome a horrific first quarter, where the Rockets trailed by 17 points.
Although Brooks was motivated to prove a point, the subpar performance from his team inspired him to take over in the second half.
He said trust from his coaches and teammates led to his heroic play. The most significant level of faith the Rockets displayed took place with 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter when Brooks drilled a late-game triple assisted by Fred VanVleet.
"The second half was a tale of two halves, even for Dillon," coach Ime Udoka said. "He stepped it up offensively. He hit a big shot late, but his scoring and aggressiveness was needed in the second half. It felt like the group rallied around him."
After six years with the Grizzlies, Brooks returned to the FedExForum for the first time as an opponent. He received a warm reception by the fans and a tribute video at the 7:47 mark of the first quarter.
Brooks said his return to Memphis was emotional, and despite the unpleasant departure - the organization took the odd step of announcing he wasn't wanted back when he hit free agency - he still has love for the organization.
The Athletic was the first to report in May the Grizzlies would not re-sign Brooks "under any circumstances" following an embarrassing postseason outing against the Los Angeles Lakers, where Memphis fell in six games.
Seven months later, the short-handed Grizzlies could have used Brooks' production due to their 6-18 start to the 2023-24 season.
"It felt like I was right back home," Brooks said. "This means a lot to me, seeing all of the evolution of myself. I loved being here."
Rockets forward Dillon Brooks shoots during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Finding the right energy in Memphis:
The Rockets needed Brooks' heroic performance due to their horrific start to the game. Houston shot 25.0 percent and committed four turnovers in the first quarter, which led to a 29-13 deficit.
Udoka said they did not have the "right energy" and encouraged his team during a halftime speech.
"I told them to wake up," Udoka said. "I did love the energy of that second group and played them extended minutes to get us back in it. I wanted us to guard better. During the third quarter, they took the message well."
Udoka's message helped the Rockets outscore the Grizzlies 58-41 during the second half. Brooks put on an offensive clinic against his former team, but the Rockets picked up their defensive intensity as a unit.
They held the Grizzlies to 34.9 percent shooting from the field and 23.5 percent shooting from behind the arc. Houston's defense forced Memphis to commit 11 of their 17 turnovers during the final 24 minutes.
A new-look Grizzlies in their final meeting:
The Rockets will have a chance to sweep the Grizzlies in their season finale on Feb. 14, but All-Star point guard Ja Morant will be back in the lineup. Morant will return from a lengthy suspension for conduct detrimental to the NBA on Dec. 19.
The Grizzlies have dropped their fourth consecutive game following their latest loss to Houston, but Morant believes his addition would help Memphis get back to winning. In 12 career games against the Rockets, Morant has averaged 20.2 points, 6.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds.
Morant addressed the media for the first time since his suspension before the Grizzlies' home contest against Houston.
"I feel like we are taking strides in the right direction," Morant said. "I feel like the only way for us to go is up. I take it day by day. Each day, I feel like we can get better at something."
