Rockets Rout Injury-Plagued Grizzlies 132-101 in Season Finale

Clint Capela's season-high 23 points and 13 rebounds lead Houston to sweep of Memphis.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 3:57am

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting a basketball game, with sharp planes of orange, red, and blue overlapping to create a dynamic, abstract composition.A cubist interpretation of the Rockets' dominant victory over the injury-depleted Grizzlies in the regular season finale.Memphis Today

In their final regular season game, the Houston Rockets routed the injury-depleted Memphis Grizzlies 132-101 on Sunday night. With Houston's starters resting, Clint Capela led the way with a season-high 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Tari Eason added 20 points and 8 assists. The Rockets swept the season series against the Grizzlies for the first time since 2009-10.

Why it matters

The win secures the Rockets' fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, where they will face the fourth-seeded Lakers in the first round. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies' disappointing 25-57 season comes to an end, as they dressed just eight players for the finale.

The details

With Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. all resting, the Rockets turned to Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard and Josh Okogie in the starting lineup. Sheppard led the Rockets with 19 points, while Eason added 20 points and 8 assists. Clint Capela also made the first 3-pointer of his 12-year NBA career in the fourth quarter.

  • The Rockets went 4-0 against the Grizzlies this season, their first season sweep since 2009-10.
  • Sunday's game was the 30th regular season meeting between 40-year-old Taj Gibson of the Grizzlies and 39-year-old Jeff Green of the Rockets, with their first matchup coming in 2010.

The players

Clint Capela

A 12-year NBA veteran center who had a season-high 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets.

Tari Eason

A Rockets forward who scored 20 points with 8 assists in the win.

Reed Sheppard

The only Rockets player to appear in all 82 games this season, he scored 19 points in the finale.

Dariq Whitehead

A Grizzlies player on a 10-day contract who led Memphis with a career-high 26 points.

Taj Gibson

The 40-year-old Grizzlies veteran played 19 minutes and scored 4 points in the loss.

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What’s next

The Rockets will begin the playoffs next weekend at the LA Lakers.

The takeaway

With the playoffs on the horizon, the Rockets were able to rest their starters and still handily defeat the injury-plagued Grizzlies, securing the fifth seed in the West. Meanwhile, Memphis' disappointing season comes to an end, as they dressed just eight players for the finale.