Rockets rock vs. Grizzlies, Christian Wood rolls ankle in 115-103 win

The Rockets walked into Memphis hungry to quiet the doubters following their loss to the Thunder Wednesday night, and they are walking out of Memphis having done just that.

The Rockets earned a big win against the Grizzlies by a score of 115-103.

The energy came right out of the gates for the Rockets with John Wall running the point for the team. After missing Wednesday’s game in OKC for load management, Wall dropped 22 points and eight assists. The Rockets improved to 7-0 in games Wall plays without James Harden this season.

Wall’s energy permeated through his teammates tonight, all of whom wanted to rinse the nasty taste in their mouth from yesterday’s game.

Jae’Sean Tate had his best game of his young career, scoring a career-high 19 points and 7 boards on 7-9 shooting. Danuel House also redeemed himself after a poor performance Wednesday with 13 points off the bench.

The Rockets kept tight with the scrappy Grizzlies up until the late second quarter, when the Rockets went on a 18-4 run to push the game in Houston’s favor for good.

Looking at the box score, it appeared to be a perfect game for Houston, except for what transpired in the middle of the third quarter, when Christian Wood re-sprained his right ankle.

Wood left the game limping with 17 points and 7 rebounds, a line that has become routine for him this season as a Rocket. The re-injury of the right ankle will likely force Wood to miss more than the mere three games he missed after he sprained his ankle January 20th.

Ultimately, the win comes with a price with the loss of Wood, but this team is no stranger to the “next man up” mentality, and they’ll once again embrace that mindset while Wood is sidelined.

The Rockets’ next game comes against the Spurs Saturday night at home. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. CT.