The Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies are playing live on the NBA schedule and this is a matchup of top teams in the west and it starts on NBA TV from the FedExForum at 8 pm ET as Dwight Howard, Marc Gasol, James Harden and the newly signed Josh Smith face off.
The Rockets come in after a nice win against the Portland Trail Blazers and they haven't played since Monday. The team has three games in a row against tough opponents with the Blazers, Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs on the schedule and they come in at second in the southwest division. The division has been tight all season with the Rockets, Grizzlies and Spurs battling it out and they are three of the top teams in the league.
The Rockets were one of the best teams in the league on offense last season and now they are averaging 100 points per game and just added Josh Smith. The team is ranked third in the league in scoring on defense this season and they are also in the top 10 in rebounds per game. Harden is one of the best scorers in the league and he comes in after putting in 44 points with seven assists, while Howard added 13 rebounds.
Smith and Dwight Howard have been friends since they were kids and that should be a big help for him getting adjusted to the team. Harden is scoring 27 points per game this season and he should be able to get Smith involved and now the Rockets matchup with the Grizzlies. Memphis comes in at 21-7 this season and they are first in the southwest division and are scoring 102 points per game.
The Grizzlies have been as good as anyone in the league this season and they are a very tough matchup at home. The team is fifth in points allowed per game and they come in after a loss to the Jazz. The team got 28 points from Mike Conley and 12 rebounds from Marc Gasol, who will be in the MVP race this season if he keeps playing like this.
Smith did not fit in all that well with the Pistons and now he is with the Houston Rockets and they have been vastly improved on defense compared to last year. Smith is shooting 39 percent while averaging 13 points per game and he should get a boost playing with the Rockets. Houston lost two straight games before the win against the Blazers and Harden ended up scoring a season high in points at 44 for that matchup and he is averaging 38 points over the last five games.
Check here for the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies live coverage.
