NBA Standings 2012: Houston Goes Into Second Half As No. 6 Seed In The West

The Houston Rockets have played in relative anonymity for the first half of the season with moderate expectations that have been exceeded thus far. At 20-14, the Rockets are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for 5th in the Western Conference, but lose the tie-break due to the 108-99 loss to the Lakers back in January. The Rockets are in a good position to let their young talent continue to flourish, while trying to make a push towards making a playoff run in May.

One question that has been asked is, can the Rockets make a trade to improve the team? Kevin Martin's name has come up in rumors, but nothing has come from it as of yet. Its scary to think that this team could have had Pau Gasol on it if things broke a little differently. However, at this point Kevin McHale is sitting pretty and general manager Daryl Morey might have one more move left in him to improve the squad, and that's all a Rockets fan can ask for.

Here are the western conference standings going into the second half of the season.

Rockets Vs. Grizzlies Final Score: Houston Defeats Memphis For Second Straight Win, 97-93

Kyle Lowry had a big second half against the Memphis Grizzlies as he scored 19 of his 24 points to lead the Rockets in scoring. Kevin Martin also had a big game with 24 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals. The Grizzles had five players score in double figures with Rudy Gay leading the ways with 23 points but it was not enough.

The Rockets led 91-84 with 2:19 left in the game but then the Grizzlies went on a five-point run to cut the lead to two points with under 30 seconds left, but then the Rockets made all six free throws the rest of the way to hold onto their 97-93 win. The win for the Rockets was their second in a row and it ended a four-game winning streak for the Grizzlies.

For more on the Rockets, head over to The Dream Shake, while Straight Outta Vancouver has you covered for everything you need to know about the Grizzlies.

Rockets Vs. Grizzlies Halftime Score: Houston Leads Memphis 58-54

The Houston Rockets are leading the hot Memphis Grizzlies at the half 58-54. Kevin Martin is officially out of his slump as he is leading the Rockets with 18 points on six-of-seven shooting, and Luis Scola is right there with him with 10 points. The Grizzlies have two hot scorers of their own with Rudy Gay who has scored 13 points and center Marreese Speights who has 12 points so far.

Both teams are shooting extremely well with Memphis converting on 56.8 percent shooting at the half and the Rockets at a blistering 66.7 percent. The difference so far in this game is that the Rockets have gone six-of-10 from the free throw line and have made three more three-point shots than the Grizzlies.

Which ever team's defense can make some stops in the second half should win this game.

For more on the Rockets, head over to The Dream Shake, while Straight Outta Vancouver has you covered for everything you need to know about the Grizzlies.

Rockets Vs. Grizzlies: Game Preview, TV Info And Schedule

The teams, tied for the No. 6 slot in the Western Conference with 18-14 records, split their first two meetings, meaning that this could game could have huge playoff implications in April.