NBA: Rockets narrowly lose to Grizzlies

Houston, Jan 25 (IANS) Houston Rockets lost to Memphis Grizzlies 87-88 in an NBA game at the Toyota Center.

Rockets forward Chandler Parsons, though, set an NBA record for 3-pointers in one half Friday night, reports Xinhua.

The Rockets found the going tough, especially offensively. The team only scored 35 points in the first half and trailed by nine points when they entered the break.

Parsons began to shine at the opening of the third quarter and helped the Rockets make an 11-0 run. Houston outscored Memphis nine points in that quarter, tying the score to 64.

Houston continued to struggle in the last quarter but played good defence. Their opportunity came when Parsons’ ninth 3-pointer of the half put the Rockets in front, 83-82 with four minutes 23 seconds left, but they missed their next three shots.

However, they still had their chances when an offensive foul by Memphis gave them the ball back with 8.3 seconds left. But Parsons couldn’t free himself from the Grizzlies’ defence and shoot the ball. He passed the ball to Pat Beverley who shot an air ball 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Parsons scored a career-high 34 points and hit 10-consecutive 3-pointers, all in the second half, making a NBA record for 3s in a half and a franchise record for 3s in a game.

Courtney Lee scored 19 points, Mike Conley had 14 points, and Zach Randolph chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies.