The Memphis Grizzlies slowly and steadily toppled the Houston Rockets 120-119 on national television late Thursday night in a playoff atmosphere-type environment in the FedExForum. This win put Memphis within half a game of the Rockets for the West’s second seed, but more importantly, it signified the competitive start of the Grizzlies’ newest rivalry.
Sure, Memphis has had rivalries with their Southwest division foe Houston in the past, but now that both teams have entered a new era, it feels different. The Ime Udoka-led Rockets are similar to the upstart Grizzlies of early career Ja Morant and have, as head coach Taylor Jenkins said in his postgame presser, “had Memphis’ number.”
To fuel the well-ignited fire, former Grizzlies' starting small forward Dillon Brooks was letting the Memphis faithful hear it all game long as he scored 22 points on an efficient 9-17 shooting, including 3-7 from three. His efficiency, particularly in his last playoff series with the Grizzlies in 2023 (38.7% from the field and 23.8% from three), was largely the reason the team let him walk in free agency that summer.
Still, Brooks disappointingly ended the game as he fouled out on a bump of Memphis all-star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. in the waning seconds of the contest. FedEx Forum erupted as Brooks picked up his sixth and final foul, which consequentially gave Jackson two free throws and the Grizzlies a much-needed win.
Jaren Jackson Jr : 21 points on 7-15 shooting, 1-4 from 3, 6-7 from the FT line, 4 rebounds & 4 assists in 31 minutes (Made 2 go-ahead FT's with 8.6 seconds left after he got fouled by Dillon Brooks. That was Brooks' 6th foul of the game) pic.twitter.com/kzC8q5Gohi
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) January 31, 2025
With Friday’s win for the home team, the Grizzlies solidified yet another mutual hatred in a stacked Western Conference. The Rockets had the Grizzlies number this season after defeating them in their first three games of the season series, including two times this month, before last night's showdown. After a 20-point victory for the Rockets over the Grizzlies in October, the last three games were decided by a combined seven points as seen below:
- Oct. 25: Houston defeated Memphis 128-108 (at Houston)
- Jan. 9: Houston defeated Memphis 119-115 (at Memphis)
- Jan. 13: Houston defeated Memphis 120-118 (at Houston)
- Jan 30: Memphis defeated Houston 120-119 (at Memphis)
If the playoffs were to start today, the Rockets would face either the Dallas Mavericks (7) or Minnesota Timberwolves (8) in round one, while the Grizzlies would face the Los Angeles Clippers (6). In the ensuing round, the Grizzlies and Rockets would meet in an uber-competitive fight with a berth to the Western Conference Finals on the line.
Although much has to go right for it to happen, a second-round playoff matchup between these two teams would make good for some fantastic hoops.