Two Southwest Division titans begin their preseason schedules Tuesday night, as the Houston Rockets visit the Memphis Grizzlies at 8 p.m. ET. Both teams kept their strong cores together during the offseason and should be playoff locks, even in the tougher Western Conference.
Houston lost Josh Smith from its bench to free agency but made a potentially huge trade in acquiring Ty Lawson from the Denver Nuggets, a troubled but very talented point guard. His on-court chemistry with James Harden, Dwight Howard and the rest of Houston's roster will be something to monitor both against Memphis and throughout the rest of the preseason.