Rockets 101, Grizzlies 83

"They did what they wanted to. It was very disappointing. They treated us like little girls." Zach Randolph's words pretty much sum up how the Grizzlies' home game last night against the Rockets went. The Rockets flat-outplayed the Grizzlies as the Grizzlies dropped their second game in a row and fourth in five games.

To break down how a 18-point loss at home happened, let's review the keys to the game from Luke's previous post. His first key was to win the points-in-the-paint battle. The Grizzlies actually did this, outscoring the Rockets 58-50 down low. While the Grizz could score down low, they couldn't rebound, and lost the rebounding battle 35-50. Luke's second key was the matchup of point guards Mike Conley and Aaron Brooks. This matchup wasn't even close. While Conley scored a measly four points and dished out five assists, Brooks poured in 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds (and had four assists). The final key to the game was for the Grizzlies to avoid the "terrible quarter." This didn't happen either. Down 75-66 heading into the game's final period, the Grizzlies were outscored 26-17 in the 4th and never gave themselves a chance to come back. Although the Grizzlies did control one key to the game, they botched the other two and lost a game that was a must-win.

In addition to the keys to the game, I just want to point out a couple of things from last night's game. First, the Grizzlies were 1-9 (11%) from three-point range. Over the last five games, the Grizzlies are an ATROCIOUS 15-70 (21%) from beyond the arc. It is extremely difficult to win more than one game out of five shooting like that. Something has to change here. Second, big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol combined for just 16 rebounds. With both players averaging around 10 rebounds (11.5 for Randolph and 9.6 for Gasol), a combined 16 is a disappointment.

With the loss, the Grizzlies are now in 10th place in the West and two games behind a playoff spot. Losing four games out of five hurts, especially when a team has been playing so well, but the Grizzlies have a great chance to bounce back tonight as they travel to face the Minnesota Timberwolves, the worst team in the West. I feel confident about our chances tonight and hopefully this game will get us back on the right track. GrizzLife will have two correspondents at the game, so look forward to their inside scoop in the next couple of days.

Keep living the Grizz life,

Owen