Wall Street: Rockets Stump Wizards, 107-88, in Westbrook’s Return
Not Done Yet. Beal… and the Bricks. Seeing Progression.
“They watched me play… they thought I was done,” John Wall said after his Rockets beat his former team, the only squad he ever played for before joining Houston. The Rockets also might’ve shown the world they won the Wall-Westbrook. Russ may be the better player in some people’s eyes, but Wall’s certainly a better fit in Houston, especially with this new group. And these new-look Rockets blew out Westbrook’s Wizards, 107-88, on Tuesday night. John Wall led Houston with 24 points ad 5 assists. Victor Oladipo added 20 points, as he continues to integrate himself into Houston’s system. Eric Gordon and DeMarcus Cousins both continued to thrive on the court. EG scored 20 on, and proved he’s capable of winning the Sixth Man of the Year award this prove. Boogie had another tremendous night filling in for Christian Wood. Cousins once again showed flashes of vintage Boogie and dominated the paint, scoring 19 points while grabbing 11 boards for Houston. The former All-Star hit half of his eight shots from long range, and after a slow start to the season, is really showing he can be a viable role player, given he plays enough minutes to keep his rhythm.
Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 33 points, and Russell Westbrook chip in with 17 on 7-for017 shooting. But former teammates Beal and Wall both shot the same percentages, with Wall leading Houston over Washington, and Westbrook, the guy he got traded for. Other than Beal and Russ, the Wizards didn’t have enough firepower to stop a Rockets team playing its first game with Wall and Oladipo sharing the court. A game that so far, has been Houston’s best of this young season. It will be interesting to see what happens when the final piece of Houston’s big three, Christian Wood, returns from injury.
The victory gives the Rockets a 7-9 record, and puts them with a group of teams clustered in the West fighting for a playoff spot. It’s been a rough beginning to one of the strangest starts to kick-off a season in recent memory, to say the least, but after starting 3-6. Houston is now 4-3 since the James Harden trade, and still have yet to play a game this season at full strength. Once Wood returns, the Rockets can begin their journey to prove they’re much better than everyone believes. Coach Stephen Silas needs to be given a ton of credit. He’s done of a masterful job with the genius group of young players Houston’s GM Rafael Stone’s acquired in the off-season, and the biggest trade in Rockets history. The squad still needs to get fully healthy, to get an ideal grasp of their full potential, but with all the drama, chaos, and injuries, it’s impressive Houston sits at 7-9 in the standings. Things could be a lot worse. Houston no longer has James Harden as the face of the franchise, but as Wall proved with his play on Tuesday night… these Rockets aren’t done contending in the West.