The Washington Wizards lost to the Houston Rockets Sunday afternoon 99-91. Both teams didn’t react well to the 12:30 PM start as they looked sluggish and lethargic. Washington and Houston slit their two-game series as each team won on the opposing team’s court.
John Wall played well once again as he scored 25 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including hitting 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. Wall also racked up 12 assists, grabbed eight rebounds, and recorded four steals in the Wizards fifth loss in their last six games. Bradley Beal struggled shooting the ball as he added 15 points. Otto Porter came off the bench and gave the Wizards 15 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes of play. That was the most playing time Porter has had since March 12th against the Grizzlies.
James Harden led the way for Houston as he scored 24 points on 7-of-20 shooting from the field. Washington defended Harden well but his ability to get to the free throw line really hurt. The MVP candidate went 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Five other Rocket players scored in double-figures. Josh Smith and Dwight Howard both recorded double-doubles. Smith had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Howard added 11 points and 10 rebounds in only 19 minutes of play. Corey Brewer came off the bench with 15 points, and Pablo Prigioni added 10 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Trevor Ariza scored 13 points with eight rebounds in his first game back in Verizon Center as he left for Houston in free agency.
The Wizards struggled to shoot the ball all night as they finished the game shooting 38.7 percent from the field, including an abysmal 29.2 percent in the first quarter. Washington’s offense has been ice cold for a long time now as nobody besides John Wall has stepped up their energy and focus. Their poor play on offense has bled into their defense, which is supposed to be their calling card.
Houston’s offense wasn’t clicking on all cylinders, but they finished the game shooting 42.5 percent from the field while knocking down nine three-pointers. The Rockets really helped their offense on the glass. Houston outrebounded Washington 53-to-43, including 16-to-11 on the offensive glass. The Rockets also has the advantage on points in the paint 42-to-32.
Both teams were careless with the basketball all night as the Rockets turned the ball over 20 times which led to 21 Washington points. The Wizards turned the ball over 17 times leading to 19 Rocket points. Each team was successful on the break as they both scored 18 points in transition.
Houston led Washington by 13 at halftime, but with 28 seconds left in the third quarter the Wizards cut the lead to seven, 72-65, after Otto Porter converted a layup while drawing the foul. Washington further cut into the lead as they were down only four, 76-72, with 10:08 left in regulation. The Wizards would hang around in the fourth quarter but with missed opportunities and turnovers down the stretch, the Rockets were too much to handle.
Houston will play Monday night in Toronto to face the Raptors at 7:30 PM EST. Washington will have a couple days to regroup as they stay home to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at 7:00 PM EST.