HOUSTON — Even without All-Star guard and MVP candidate Ja Morant, the Grizzlies continue to show why they’re currently the NBA’s second-best team. Led by 24 points from second-year guard Desmond Bane, Memphis improved to 14-2 on the season without Morant in Sunday’s 122-98 win (box score) over the young Rockets at Toyota Center.
The Rockets (17-54) cut the margin to as little as seven points late in the third quarter before the Grizzlies (49-23) blew the game open with a barrage of 3-point shooting. For the game, Memphis shot 16-of-34 (47.1%) as a team on 3-pointers, and it helped them avenge an upset loss to the Rockets exactly two weeks ago in the same building.
Houston briefly climbed back into the game behind strong bench minutes from veteran guard Dennis Schroder and rookie big man Alperen Sengun. Schroder had 17 points (3-of-6 on 3-pointers) and 4 rebounds in 27 minutes, while Sengun added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting (71.4%) in 23 minutes. Sengun also grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 3 assists, and he collected several sensational highlights along the way.
