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The Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets had a lengthy cold spell during the third quarter of their game at Toyota Center. The two teams eventually recovered but it was the Houston Rockets who came away with the 107-88 victory.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Russell Westbrook who spent last season as a member of the Rockets. John Wall was another player who no doubt marked this game on his calendar facing his old squad.
Here are our 5 hits and flops from the game between the Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets:
Hit: John Wall (Houston Rockets)
John Wall was determined to have his best game as a Houston Rockets player as he faced his former team, the Washington Wizards. Wall had 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and four assists in the first half alone. The motivation was evident from Wall’s energy level to start the game.
He had 24 points, five assists, and two steals as he took charge in the fourth quarter and led the Rockets to a huge run that the Wizards never recovered from.
Flop: Victor Oladipo (Houston Rockets)
The game didn’t showcase Victor Oladipo’s best as he had difficulty in putting the ball in the hole from the first half onwards. Oladipo was off the whole night, making 2-of-9 from the field before halftime and 7-of-21 overall.
He kind of made up for his subpar showing with a clutch three off a pass from John Wall to extend the Houston Rockets lead to 14 with 5:44 left in the game. He scored 20 points with five rebounds and an assist.
Hit: Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
After a game in which he didn’t shoot the ball well, Bradley Beal decided that wasn’t going to happen for the second straight game. The Washington Wizards guard scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field in the first half.
The All-Star guard didn’t let up after halftime even though his shooting fell a little off. Despite the Houston Rockets defense directed toward him, he still scored 33 points and added five rebounds and four assists.
Flop: P.J. Tucker (Houston Rockets)
What’s worse than having a bad shooting night? Not shooting at all. Tucker didn’t attempt a single shot in almost 18 minutes of action in the first half. The Houston Rockets needed Tucker to be a shooter from the wings, not just a defender.
Tucker ended the night attempting just one shot with two rebounds and a steal in 34 minutes of playing time. It’s a good thing that they defeated the Washington Wizards or else Tucker’s lack of contribution would have been more glaring.
Hit: DeMarcus Cousins (Houston Rockets)
In his third straight start for the Houston Rockets, DeMarcus Cousins took advantage of the opportunity and once again delivered with a terrific performance against the Washington Wizards. Cousins scorched the nets from 3-point territory, making 4-of-8 from downtown and looking like he was the greatest shooter on the planet.
He even took a mini-stepback jumper from three that hit the bottom of the net. Cousins had 19 points and 11 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double and added five steals and a block in 33 minutes.
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