John Wall Outduels Russell Westbrook as Rockets Rout Wizards

Carmen Mandato/Associated Press

Playing against the franchise that helped make him an NBA star for the first time, John Wall and the Houston Rockets downed the Washington Wizards, 107-88, at Toyota Center on Tuesday night. 

It’s the first time the two teams have faced off since Houston acquired Wall for Russell Westbrook days before the 2020-21 season began. Wall went off for 24 points, while Westbrook tallied 19 in his return to Houston. 

The Rockets (7-9) have now won three straight games since since opening the season 4-9 and appear to be balancing out even though emerging star Christian Wood missed his third consecutive game with an ankle injury.

Washington (3-10) arrived in Houston missing a few notable players as well. Deni Avdija, David Bertans, Moritz Wagner, Ish Smith and Troy Brown Jr. were all ruled out against the Rockets. 

That placed even more pressure on both Wall and Westbrook to deliver for their respective clubs. Wall was up to the task. 

Notable Performers

John Wall, PG, Houston Rockets: 24 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds

DeMarcus Cousins, C, Houston Rockets: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals, 4-for-8 3FG

Russell Westbrook, PG, Washington Wizards: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists

Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards: 33 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Wall Reminds Wizards What They Gave Up 

Wall did plenty Tuesday to show the Wizards he can still use his outstanding court vision to create jaw-dropping plays. He can still get to the rim with ease and has no hesitation when it comes to finding his shot. 

However, the guard also showed he still isn’t back to being the best version of himself. Not yet, at least. 

After missing five straight games with a sore knee, Wall was on a minutes restriction in his second game back. He shot 9-for-21 from the field, missed on his first five attempts from three-point range and played only 24 minutes. His final nine points on the night all came in the fourth quarter with the lead safely in Houston’s hands, though he demanded more from himself against his former team. 

“I should’ve had 30 and probably a couple more assists,” Wall said on the broadcast in a postgame interview. “I missed a few layups. My adrenaline was going.” 

Wall’s next game against the Wizards—in Washington, D.C., on February 15—is likely to carry much more weight since it’s the first time he’ll have played at Capital One Arena since 2019. 

By then, Wall may be looking even more like himself. 

Westbrook Can’t Keep Shorthanded Wizards Afloat

As Houston was running away with the lead in the fourth quarter and Washington was closing in on its 10th loss on the season, Westbrook finally had enough of his counterpart. 

Westbrook and Wall had been jawing on a few possessions, and the former finally had a chance to show up the latter. After grabbing the ball on the left wing, Westbrook drove straight at Wall, sending him to the ground and flailing at the guard’s legs as he went airborne for the layup. 

By the time Westbrook landed, Wall was back in his face, and it only took a few seconds for the referees to assess double technical fouls. 

How else would Westbrook to return to Toyota Center?

Unlike Wall, the version of Westbrook that the Rockets faced off against looked exactly like what they saw last season. 

The veteran was constantly pushing the tempo, giving away wild turnovers (six) and matching them with equally wild assists (seven). If Bradley Beal hadn’t kept the Wizards in the game with his 33 points on 12-for-28 shooting, Westbrook likely wouldn’t have even been on the floor in the fourth quarter. Not with the Wizards running on fumes in the second half. 

Washington scored 18 points in each of the final two frames as Westbrook continued to force his shot (7-for-17 FG, 1-for-4 FG3, 4-for-8 FT). 

With the Wizards missing as many important players as they were Tuesday, their only chance was to lean on their two stars. Even though they did so, they still lost by 19. 

Until the Wizards are fully healthy, nights like these may continue to be the norm.

What’s Next

The Rockets remain home to host the Portland Trail Blazers in a nationally televised matchup on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. They’ll head out on a four-game road trip beginning on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, who host the Wizards on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET. Washington returns home to face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. 

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available. 

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