The month of February has not treated the Houston Rockets kindly. Unfortunately, their poor play continued Sunday night with a 133-84 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets have now lost 11 straight games.
Grizzlies guard Justice Winslow finished with a team-high 20 points on the night. Forward Brandon Clarke finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 7-9 from the field. Guard Desmond Bane continued his spectacular rookie season with 15 points on 6-7 shooting from the field.
For Memphis, it was a historic win and a testament to their depth as a team. The Grizzlies bench outscored the Rockets’ entire team by a margin of 85-84. 85 bench points are the most in franchise history. The 49 points win margin is also the largest in Grizzlies franchise history. The previous record was a 47 point win versus the New Jersey Nets in 2003.
For Houston, things could not have gone worse. Already down star center Christian Wood, the Rockets ruled out guard Victor Oladipo before the game due to a right quad injury. Down their top two players, the Rockets were an absolute disaster. The team shot 27.7% from the field and 8% from three. For reference, the lowest team field goal percentage ever came from the Chicago Bulls, who shot 23.4% from the field for a game during the 1998-99 season.
The Rockets have some serious problems to address as the All-Star break approaches. The team lost 11 of their 13 games played in February. In this past month, the team finished with the third-fewest points per game and the lowest field goal percentage in the league. Head coach Stephen Silas may be looking to make some major changes before the March 25th NBA trade deadline with the way things are going.
