The Houston Rockets have been one of the biggest surprises of the season so far, boasting strong veteran play and one of the better young cores in the entire NBA. But on Thursday night, it will face one of its most important games of the season in a bout with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Houston Rockets go for a third straight win as they visit the Memphis Grizzlies ( 8 ET, NBA League Pass ). The Grizzlies (24-13) and Rockets (24-12) play the first of their three contests in January on Thursday. Entering Wednesday, Houston owns the fourth-best record in the league, while Memphis is tied for fifth-best.

While Morant has been relatively available for Memphis, he's also dealt with a slew of injuries.Morant has already missed 17 games for the Memphis Grizzlies this season due to a variety of injuries. His most recent one has kept him out of the last five games for Memphis.

Ja Morant might return from injury, and Rockets center Steven Adams will play in Memphis for the first time since the Grizzlies traded him last February.

Jim Harbaugh's defense appears to have an ideal set of answers for C.J. Stroud. The Ravens' much-improved pass defense can smother the Steelers' main path to scoring points. And you will not believe how often the Bucs blitz on late downs.

The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the NBA’s most impressive teams this season. Despite missing key players for extended periods of time, including star poi

The Memphis Grizzlies have only had Ja Morant for 20 of their 37 games so far this season. The Grizzlies are 14-6 in those games, which is a 57-win pace. Without Morant, Memphis is 10-7, good for a 48-win-pace.