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Stephen A. explains how a Chris Paul trade to the 76ers would work for Philly, Rockets – First Take

Recap

HOUSTON — One week ago, the short-handed Grizzlies rolled into Cleveland and shocked the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers, providing a recent example of feistiness for the Houston Rockets to take heed.

Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley sparked a 3-point barrage Monday, and the Rockets rolled to the third-largest victory in franchise history, a 130-81 win over Grizzlies at Toyota Center.

With Ariza and Beverley setting the pace by hitting their first six combined 3-point attempts in the opening quarter, the Rockets shot 16-for-33 from behind the arc. Ariza finished with 16 points, one of nine players to score in double figures for the Rockets, who led wire to wire.

The last time the Rockets had nine double-figure scorers was Feb. 16, 1993, against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rockets center Dwight Howard said of the Grizzlies, “With a team like that, you want to put them away. Cleveland played them the other day (March 7) and started the game kind of slow and they took an L. We didn’t want that to happen to us tonight, especially being on the road as long as we have been (five games) and coming back home and playing.”

Beverley had 10 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals, while Houston forward Donatas Motiejunas added 18 points and six rebounds in his strongest showing since his deadline trade to the Pistons was revoked.

The Rockets (34-33) ran roughshod from the opening tip despite lukewarm starts from James Harden and Howard, who were held without a basket in the opening quarter and finished with 15 and seven points, respectively. Harden added seven rebounds, eight assists and three blocks; Howard supplied a team-high 13 rebounds plus five blocks.

“That’s what I was doing tonight,” Harden said of laboring to create open looks for his teammates. “I really wasn’t trying to score, I was just being a facilitator, trying to do all the intangible things to get the win.”

The Grizzlies trotted out a motley-crew roster and trailed 21-6 less than five minutes into the contest. Matt Barnes keyed a mini 8-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers, but Houston followed by stretching its lead to 31-16 before building an insurmountable cushion with an 8-0 spurt in the second that included a Jason Terry 3-pointer and Motiejunas’ three-point play.

The bloated margin kept swelling, growing from 18 points to 56-32 when Harden followed an Ariza transition dunk with a 3-pointer and a technical free throw. Memphis didn’t have the bodies or experience to muster a counterattack, surrendering a 15-3 run early in the third capped by a Motiejunas 3-pointer that stretched the Rockets’ advantage to 80-45.

“Half our team is D League,” Barnes said. “It’s just one of those situations where we’ve been bit by the injury bug and nobody is going to feel bad for us. Teams like Houston see that and they want to blow you out, so we have to come and be ready to play every night.”

Memphis, playing without regulars Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph, trailed by as many as 53 points. Barnes paced the starters with 14 points while adding seven rebounds. Jarell Martin and Alex Stepheson scored 17 and 12 points, respectively, in reserve, with Stepheson grabbing 15 boards. The Grizzlies committed 20 turnovers.

“I was really proud of our guys,” Grizzlies coach David Joerger said. “We got 100 shots up and 62 shots in the paint and did a tremendous job, but it was just one of those nights.”

The 12-9 Boston Celtics will travel to play the 10-11 Houston Rockets in an NBA pro basketball game on Friday night. Tip off time from Houston is scheduled for 8PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by the ESPN.

The NBA odds from this game has the home club Houston Rockets favored by -2 ½ points with an over under line of 206 points. When the odds opened up a few hours ago it was Houston a -2 ½ point favorite and the total lined at 205 ½ points. There has been no movement on the side and a ½ point move on the over.

During the lockout season last year the teams met once and it was Boston with the 97-92 home win against the Rockets as a -4 ½ point betting favorite. The game went over 188 ½ points. Boston is 4-5 straight up on the road this season. They concluded their brief two game home stand with wins in each game. After defeating Philadelphia 97-79 the team defeats Dallas on Tuesday 117-115 at home as a -6 point favorite. They have lost their past two road games to Philadelphia and Milwaukee. The Celtics allow 99 points a game and 45% shooting on the road this season. Paul Pierce leads the Celtics with 20 points a game. Kevin Garnett is having a nice season with 16 points and a 54% shooting percentage.

The Rockets are 8-5 on their home court in the 2012-13 season. They broke a three game losing streak on Wednesday in a 99-93 home victory against the Washington Wizards as a -10 1/2 point favorite. Heading into the Wizards game the Rockets have given up an average of 117 points per game to their past six opponents. The Rockets are 30th in the league in scoring defense allowing 105 points a game. Teams make 46% of their shots against them. Houston’s lack of size is an issue for this club. They are facing a Boston team that shoots efficiency with 47.3% conversions from the field. James Harden leads Houston with 25 points and 43% shooting from the floor.

The 29-9 LA Clippers will be on a back to back as they travel to play the Houston Rockets in an NBA pro basketball game on Tuesday night. Tip off time from Houston is scheduled for 8PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by the NBA League Pass Channel.

The current NBA odds in this pro basketball game have the road team LA Clippers favored by -1 point with an over under line of 211 points.

During the lockout shortened season the teams met three times with the Clippers winning all three games. LA covered the spread in two of the three games. Trend: Houston Rockets are 0-3 ATS in their past three games.

The LA Clippers are 11-5 straight up on the road this season. They bounce back from a bad home loss on Saturday to Orlando by blowing out the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night by the score of 99-73 as a +4 ½ point road underdog. The total came in at under 179 ½ points. LA played without Chris Paul who sat out with a knee bruise. He is questionable for Tuesday’s game. The Clippers shot 46% from the field and got to the free throw line 32 times and made 24 shots. LA held Memphis to just 30% shooting. The team is 4th in the NBA in offensive field goal shooting at 47.7% and third in field goal defense by allowing opponents less than 43% shooting from the floor.

The Rockets are 14-6 on their home court on the year. They return home briefly after a three game east coast road trip where they lost each game. They come off the 107-100 road defeat on Saturday to the Philadelphia 76ers as a +1 point underdog. The game ended over 204 points. It was a tough spot for the Rockets playing their third game in four nights and facing travel in each game. Houston allowed an anemic offensive team in Philadelphia score 107 points and hit on over 49% from the field. James Harden led Houston with 29 points on 10 of 19 shooting. Point guard Jeremy Lin had an off night hitting on 2 of 13 from the field. The Rockets are the top scoring team in the league averaging 105 points a game. At home Houston averages nearly 109 points and over 46% shooting.

The 29-25 Houston Rockets will travel on a back to back when they face the LA Clippers in an NBA pro basketball game on Wednesday night. Tip off time from Staples Center in Los Angeles is set for 10:30PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by NBA TV.

The odds from this pro basketball game will come out on Wednesday afternoon as Chauncey Billups has been listed as questionable with a sore back.

The teams met back on January 15th with the Clippers posting the 117-109 road win at Houston as a +3 point underdog. The total came in at over 206 ½ points.

The Rockets are 11-17 on the road this season. They get their seventh win in ten games after an impressive 116-107 road victory against a Golden St team desperate for revenge as a +4 point underdog. The game went over the total of 218 ½ points. Golden St was out to revenge a humiliating 140-109 defeat on February 5th as Houston was out to set the record for the number of three point makes. The Rockets shot 47.3% from the field and made 10 of 34 from three. They held the Warriors to 45.2% from the field. Houston is the top scoring offense in the NBA as they push across 106.3 points a game.

The Clippers are 20-5 on their home court. They extend their win streak to two games after a 107-90 road win to complete a 4-4 Grammy Road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers as a -4 ½ point betting favorite. The total came in at over 185 points. The Clips post the 56-33 lead at the half in the win. Chris Paul back in shape off his injury and LA reach its peak form again. They hit on 58.7% from the field and 8 of 19 from three. Los Angeles grabs six more rebounds than the 76ers and limits Philadelphia to just 41.7% shooting. Chris Paul has 21 points and 11 assists on 9 of 11 shooting. The past two games the Clippers have averaged 104.5 points a game. They are fourth in the NBA in two key defensive categories which are points allowed and defensive field goal percentage. The Clippers give up 93.5 points a game and 43.5% shooting to their opponents.

Houston Rockets vs Philadelphia Sixers – Full Highlights – March 9, 2016 NBA