Memphis Grizzlies: Chandler Parsons lights up former team in win

The Memphis Grizzlies headed into game number six looking collect win number five on the year in their second match-up against the Houston Rockets.

First Quarter:

The Memphis Grizzlies starting unit struggled to start the game, but the bench unit of Mario Chalmers, Dillon Brooks, Brandon Wright, Tyreke Evans and Chandler Parsons cleaned up the starting five’s mess again. Parsons, who has shown signs of live throughout these five games, but came alive in game number six.

In the first period, Parsons went 4-of-4 from the field and two of those makes were from 3-point land.

For the Grizzlies as a whole, quick starts need to be key. Mike Conley continued his streak of slow starts going 1-of-3 with two points in the first quarter. The Grizzlies trailed the Rockets 32-30 at the end of the first quarter of play.

Second Quarter:

The Grizzlies trailed after one quarter and outscored Houston 24-17 in the second quarter to lead at halftime 54-49. Conley came alive in a way, and Parsons continued to play great defense, coming in for Jarell Martin in key situations. In the process, the Rockets couldn’t abuse the paint during pick-n-rolls.

Third Quarter:

The third quarter began just like the first quarter: stagnant offense. The starting five began slow, and the Rockets were eventually tied with the Grizzlies at the 6:59 mark.

Parsons entered and had the same impact on the game as he did in the first half. He hit five shots in the third quarter — four of those threes and one off the dribble one-handed slam.

Parsons was playing the super hero role off the bench in the first and third quarter. Grizzlies led 81-72 after the third.

4th Quarter

To start the fourth quarter, not one of the starters had double digits points. The bench seemed to follow the lead of Parsons who had his best night as a Grizzly as he had 24 points in 19 minutes and was 6-of-8 from the 3-point line. Evans joined Parsons as the other leading scorers with 14 points and seven rebounds. The Grizzlies bench played the biggest role in the win, outscoring the Rockets bench, 65 to 25.

Stat Lines:

Chandler Parsons: 24 points (Most as a Grizzly), 9-of-11 shooting and 6-of-8 from 3.

Tyreke Evans: 14 points, seven rebounds, 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from 3.

Game Summary:

The Grizzlies will move to 6-1 and sit at the top of the Western Conference with this win. This could possibly be a coming out party for Chandler Parsons.

Mike Conley and Marc Gasol combined for a total of 14 points tonight. Nobody could have predicted a 5-1 start for the Grizzlies, but without this bench unit, none of this is possible.

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