Rockets vs. Grizzlies Takeaways: Frustration Leads To Blowout Loss In Memphis

The Houston Rockets suffered one of their worst losses of the season in a 151-114 defeat to the Grizzlies, as Luke Kennard sets a franchise 3-point shooting record for Memphis.

MEMPHIS — The Houston Rockets sustained one of their most embarrassing losses of the season in a 151-114 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night inside FedExForum. Here are three takeaways from a horrific night in Memphis.

Luke Kennard leads Grizzlies 3-point shooting barrage:

Luke Kennard fell 10-point shy of a 40-point night. But add Kennard's name to the list of players who set a season-high against the Rockets during the 2022-23 campaign. 

He matched his career-high in the Grizzlies' 37-point victory with 30 points. And while connecting on 10 out of his 11 attempts from behind the arc, Kennard set a franchise record for most 3's in a game by a single player. 

In addition to Kennard's performance, Desmond Bane added five triples to help the Grizzlies set a franchise record with 25 made 3's. Memphis came into the game shooting 34.6 percent from behind the arc — 25th in the league.

Coach Stephen Silas noted Memphis' physicality led to several open shots, which resulted in the Rockets being late on their defensive closeouts.

"They have two guys who are known for their 3-point shooting, Bane and Kennard," Silas said. "They made 15 3-pointers between the two of them. Kennard shot 10-for-11 and got it going."

Frustration with non-calls:

The Grizzlies played a physical game for the second consecutive night. And similar to Wednesday's contest, the referees allowed both teams to play through the contact.

The Rockets had a rough time trying to compete with the Grizzlies' physicality. Nearly every player who felt the Grizzlies hacked them while attacking downhill, Houston would complain to the referees instead of getting back on defense.

Silas felt the Rockets' frustration with non-calls took his players out of the game mentally, other than focusing on the game plan. 

"I feel like we have been complaining a little bit too much," Jabari Smith Jr. said. "We need to leave the officials alone and just play basketball. We are not going to get too many calls. We cannot go into a game thinking about what's a foul. That's how a physical team gets the upper hand on you."

Just an overall embarrassment:

Outside of the brief 7-2 lead Houston held two minutes into the game, the Rockets' series finale against the Grizzlies was an absolute embarrassment.

The Rockets gave up over 150 points for the second time this season — in a game where Memphis' All-Star point guard Ja Morant played 19 minutes off the bench. Houston's play was a 180 from the five-point defeat sustained 48 hours ago.

The most embarrassing moment for Houston came with 1 minute and 42 seconds left in the second quarter. A turnover by Jalen Green resulted in an off-the-backboard alley-oop between Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr.

"They were just firing on all cylinders, and we did not have an answer for them tonight," Tari Eason said. "They came out there and punched us in the mouth. It's unfortunate to see us lose this badly. But every loss is a lesson, regardless of the score."

Best performance:

Tari Eason led the Rockets in scoring on the night with 21 points (9-13 FG) off the bench. His competitive nature made his performance stand out the most against the Grizzlies.

Eason played with high energy on both ends of the court despite the deficit the Rockets faced. During his post-game press conference, Eason was visually disappointed and upset by the outcome of the game.

Worst performance:

Alperen Sengun had one of his least impactful performances of the season. In 25 minutes of play, Sengun finished the game with seven points on 3-for-6 shooting, five rebounds and two assists.

Final Words:

"Every time we went to the paint, it's like, 'oh, I cannot believe we did not get a foul call.' The more you do that, the referees are not going to give you any more calls. You have to play through that physicality so they can give you the benefit of the doubt. We gotta be focused on what is important, and that's playing well." — Stephen Silas

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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