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The Memphis Grizzlies (32-16) gutted out a tremendous victory versus the visiting Houston Rockets on Thursday, 120-119, sparing the NBA a ton of unwanted publicity. Before the Grizz officially gained a game on the second-place squad in the West, hoops fans witnessed an epic officiating gaffe.
After Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet misfired on a 3-pointer with his team up one and just 15 seconds remaining in the game, Memphis rookie Jaylen Wells secured the rebound and was poised to go coast-to-coast for a thrilling drive. Houston's poor transition defense and Wells' hustle resulted in what should have been a surefire lead change. The official whistled the action dead, though.
During the sequence, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins urged his team to push the pace by motioning with his hand. The referee mistook the gesture for a timeout and promptly paused the game. Jenkins instantly erupted and blasted the culprit, knowing full well his group was denied a golden opportunity to jump ahead late. His fury burned a hole in the FedExForum, with the fans following suit.
Memphis ensured that the blunder would not define the outcome of the contest, however. All-Star Game reserve Jaren Jackson Jr. drew a foul and made the two clinching free throws with just over eight ticks on the clock. VanVleet missed another key shot, and the Grizzlies survived.
Taylor Jenkins was IRATE after the official blew the whistle for a Grizzlies timeout negating a wide open layup 🤯
Coach Jenkins was adamant that he did not ask for a timeout.
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 31, 2025
Grizzlies dig deep to defeat the Rockets
A tense showdown between standout squads packed needless controversy and surely caused Jenkins' blood pressure to spike to alarming levels. The home team is celebrating in the end, though.
Desmond Bane led the way in the absence of the injured Ja Morant, notching 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Luke Kennard added 22 points and Brandon Clarke provided pivotal production off the bench (13 points on 6-of-7 shooting with three steals and two blocks). Memphis prevails once again without its keystone and has now won seven of its last eight games.
The Grizzlies withstood strong showings from familiar face Dillon Brooks and breakout wing Amen Thompson, held Jalen Green in check (38.1 percent shooting from the field) and dominated the paint area en route to erasing a 10-point halftime deficit. They are only a half-game behind the Rockets in the Western Conference.
Both of these teams battled their own brand of adversity last season, but they are absolutely thriving this year. If Memphis and Houston meet in the playoffs, fans should expect to see a scrappy series. Hopefully, Taylor Jenkins will not combust by the time that hypothetical matchup arrives.
