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Last season, then-Houston Rockets big man Christian Wood was suspended by the Rockets for one game for poor behavior. The suspension came following the team’s 124-111 loss against Denver on Jan. 1st, 2022.
Wood was one of two Rockets players suspended at the time, along with guard Kevin Porter Jr. The suspensions were first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“The Houston Rockets are suspending Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, disciplining both for poor behavior surrounding Saturday’s loss to Denver,” Wojnarowski reported.
The suspensions, while being handed out at the same time, stemmed from two separate incidents related to the game.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Kevin Porter Jr. left the Rockets’ arena after an altercation with assistant coach John Lucas at halftime. The incident reportedly involved Porter throwing an object at Lucas. Porter then had to be separated from Lucas before leaving.
As for Christian Wood, he was benched to start the game after he missed the team’s COVID-19 testing window before the game. Wood was later allowed to play in the second half but refused to sub into the game at first. He later played a total of just eight minutes.
Wood finished with zero points and one rebound on 0-for-4 (0.0%) shooting. He also had a plus-minus of -17 in his eight minutes of action. Meanwhile, Porter finished with eight points, three assists, and one block on 3-for-5 (60.0%) shooting in just 16 minutes.
The loss marked the Rockets’ seventh straight loss of the season and dropped them to 10-27. Houston would go on to finish the 2021-2022 season with a league-worst 20-62 record.
The season also marked Christian Wood’s second and final season in Houston as he was traded to Dallas in the offseason. Wood finished with averages of 19.1 points, 9.9 rebounds 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 block per game in 109 games for the Rockets. He also shot an efficient 50.7% and 38.4% from three on five attempts a game.
However, Wood’s offensive production in Houston was constantly plagued by questions about his poor defensive effort. Many also accused him of putting up empty stats as the Rockets went just 31-78 in games Wood played in.
Also read: Why was Kevin Porter Jr. traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021? All you need to know
Christian Wood’s production in Dallas so far
As for Christian Wood’s production with the Dallas Mavericks so far, Wood has provided a strong offensive punch off the bench for Dallas.
Wood is averaging 16.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 55.6% and 40.6% from three through 19 games.
Despite being the Mavs’ second-leading scorer, Wood hasn’t started a single game for Dallas. This is mostly due to questions about Wood’s defense in the frontcourt as Dallas wants to optimize their lineup with defenders around superstar Luka Doncic.
Following their loss to the lowly Detroit Pistons on Thursday, the Mavericks have fallen below .500 (10-11 and 11th in the Western Conference). This comes following their impressive run to the Western Conference finals last season.
Guess the Lakers players!
