Stoudamire and Grizzlies roar past Rockets
(Sports Network)
Updated: 2005-12-04 14:27

Damon Stoudamire scored 24 points and Bobby Jackson added a season-high 18 off the bench, as the Memphis Grizzlies jumped out to a large early lead and beat the Houston Rockets, 90-75, at the Toyota Center.

The two guards combined to make 11-of-15 three-point field goals, as the team finished 15-of-32 from beyond the arc. The 15 three-pointers were a franchise record.

Pau Gasol added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Shane Battier tallied 14 points for the Grizzlies, who won their fifth straight game.

"We just are all playing together as a team. We're just playing great basketball," Jackson said. "Everyone is on the same page."

Yao Ming led all scorers with 29 points, but didn't receive much help from Tracy McGrady. He scored just 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting in the loss.

No other player was in double figures for the Rockets, who have lost eight of their last nine games.

The Grizzlies jumped on the Rockets from the opening tip and took a 34-13 advantage after the first quarter.

Memphis scored the first six points of the contest, then enlarged the lead to 21-11 with just under three minutes left in the period.

Mike Miller drained a three-pointer, Gasol buried a mid-range jump shot and Jackson made a trey to give the Grizzlies the double-digit advantage.

Things got worse for the Rockets, as Memphis continued to click offensively. An 18-2 run in all to close the period put Houston in a big hole.

Stoudamire scored eight points and Jackson had six during the spurt and both drained two treys.

Houston shot just 29.4 percent for the quarter, while Memphis shot 68.4 percent and made 6-of-6 three-point attempts.

"They shot it well and we defended poorly," Houston head coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "It's pretty disappointing. Even embarrassing."

Memphis cooled down in the second period, but the Rockets remained ice cold and still trailed 47-26 at the break.

Yao was 5-of-11 in the half, while the rest of the team was 6-of-25 from the floor. Memphis still shot 51.4 percent for the half and made seven three- pointers.

Until McGrady drained a jumper with 8:02 left in the third period, no Rocket other than Yao had scored multiple field goals.

The Grizzlies led 73-50 after three quarters.

Houston made the game closer than it appeared during the fourth quarter, outscoring the Grizzlies 25-17.

Game Notes

Stoudamire also dished out eight assists...The Rockets committed 21 turnovers and made only 3-of-15 from three-point range...Memphis has won three of the last four meetings.