The Memphis Grizzlies (7 - 6) defeated the Houston Rockets (5 - 8) 96 - 84 thanks to a Gasol triple - double on Friday. In a battle of two struggling Western Conference teams, the Grizzlies prevailed thanks to a triple - double from Marc Gasol. This was the good old Memphis defense of the past, as they held the Rockets to under 38 percent shooting and won the turnover battle 23 - 11. The Grizzlies also outassisted the Rockets 26 - 15 in what ended up being a lopsided game. If it weren’t for a prayer from Corey Brewer in their last game, the Rockets would have lost their sixth - straight game tonight. There's a lot of holes on this team right now, as they are shooting poorly, playing bad defense and now playing team - ball. The team was led by James Harden, who tallied 22 points, six rebounds and five assists in the loss. Dwight Howard had another solid game as well, as he totaled 12 points and 15 boards in the defeat. The firing of coach Kevin McHale was a questionable decision and games like this make it look even more questionable. Houston will look to play better against the New York Knicks on Saturday, as both teams are playing the second half of a back - to - back set. This was definitely the Grizzlies best performance of the season, as they got it done on both ends. Not only did they play good offense, they stifled a potent Rockets offense. Memphis were led by a career - performance from Marc Gasol, who tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in a spectacular game. Mike Conley was also very good, as he collected 26 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals in the win. Hopefully this is the start of a good run for Memphis, as they played this game without Zach Randolph, who is dealing with some knee swellness. Memphis will take on the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in the second half of a back - to - back for both teams.
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 "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 15 Number of team assists ,has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 8 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 23 Turnovers ,has 5 Wins ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Dwight Howard') has 12 Assists ,has 15 Free throws attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 5 Assists ,has 22 Free throws attempted ,has 6 Free throws made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Marc Gasol') has 11 Assists ,has 2 Free throws attempted ,has 2 Free throws made ,has 2 Personal fouls ,has 16 Points ,has 11 Total rebounds ,has 4 Steals ,has 2 Turnovers ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Mike Conley') has 5 Assists ,has 26 Free throws attempted ,has 3 Free throws made ,has 3 Personal fouls ."]