HOUSTON — Desmond Bane had 24 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame the absence of star Ja Morant with balanced scoring in a 122-98 victory over the NBA-worst Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Bane was one of six Memphis players to score at least 13 points on a day Morant sat out with a sore knee.
Coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant was OK and that he just wanted to give him some time to rest with the team’s next game not until Wednesday night.
Morant has helped the Grizzlies to the second-best record in the NBA this season behind Phoenix at 49-23.
Dennis Schroder had 17 points off the bench for the Rockets. They have dropped five straight.