Kevin Porter Jr. Looking Forward To Rockets Battle vs. Ja Morant and Grizzlies

With aspirations of becoming one of the league's best backcourts, Kevin Porter Jr. is looking forward to the Houston Rockets' home opener against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets will host the 1-0 Memphis Grizzlies during their home opener for the 2022-23 season. Last year, the Grizzlies won their four-game regular season series by an average margin of 21.6 points, with Houston's lone victory against Memphis coming on Mar. 6. 

Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. scored 53 points combined to lead the Rockets to a 123-112 victory inside the Toyota Center. But their surprising win against the Grizzlies marked the beginning of Green and Porter finding their niche as a backcourt duo.

"I remember that Memphis game," Porter said. "Once we got going, we stayed going. They couldn't do much with us, and we have since built off that momentum."

Porter credited the energy he and Green felt during their win against the Grizzlies and has done everything possible to sustain the continuity. 

They spent the bulk of the summer enhancing their chemistry during the Rockets' voluntary workout program. And the payoff of their five-month training has Green and Porter believing that Houston could reclaim its title as one of the best backcourts in the league. 

Friday night's home opener against the Grizzlies will be a measuring stick for Green and Porter when going up against Desmond Bane and Ja Morant. Memphis' backcourt averaged a combined 45.6 points while leading the Grizzlies to a 56-26 record during the 2021-22 season.

"Ja and Desmond are my boys," Porter said. "Jalen and I have a year under our belts playing together. We are coming in with the mindset to make each other better and to be the best backcourt."

Since helping the Rockets record their only win of last season against the Grizzlies, Green has averaged 19.3 points on an efficient 41.3 percent shooting from the field. Porter has notched 20.6 points and 6.6 assists in the 20 games that followed.

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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