The Washington Wizards lost 107-88 to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, giving John Wall revenge in his very first game against his old team.
This game was very energetic, and the Wizards earlier gained a seven-point lead, thanks to an effective offense and good defense, but in the 2nd quarter, the wheels came off on both sides of the Wizards. Rockets eventually take a 4-point lead until halftime.
The second half started much slower, and both teams combined only 9 points in the first 6+ minutes. The pace of the game slowed down and the game became sloppy for both teams. Wizards could not take offense.
In the fourth time, when Wall was inserted into the game, Wall got the Rockets back on track. He hit Oladipo for an open try and that shot effectively put the game out of reach for the Wizards.
Takeaways
John Wall
John Wall was, of course, the story of the game, even before the opening of the fee. He showed a large number of flashes of his game in DC, and he hit midfield shots, dazzling drives to the basket, and smooth plays. Wall finishes with 24 points and 5 assistants.
The game was fiery and emotional for Wall. He and Westbrook chirped towards the end and finally found a double technical solution to their problems.
Russell Westbrook
There was a debate among the broadcasters during the match that looked like a general refrain with Westbrook. Statistics more often than not seem impressive, but Westbrook’s impact on the game was generally not good. He flashed a little brilliant at moments, but he also had bad moments. He stumbled to the basket a few times and threw the ball away, forcing a pass that was simply not there. No matter how you look at it, he just does not look right on the court. Westbrook had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, but he also had 6 turnovers. This turnover was expensive for a team that struggled all night to score.
Struggle violation
Wizards’ offense didn’t look good at all tonight except for the 1st quarter. In the first quarter, the team scored 29 points. For the rest of the game, they averaged a shadow of less than 20 points per quarter. The team shot 39 percent off the field, 19 percent from 3 and 20 turnovers. None of those promise well.
Whether it’s a tired team with short hands, or just a bad offense, the team simply did not give a good performance and they run the risk of having an unbeaten run away.
Next game: Wednesday at New Orleans Pelicans, 9:00 p.m. ET.