HOMECOMING
John Wall wasn't happy with how the Wizards handled his trade to Houston
Feb 17, 2021, 12:48 pm
HOMECOMING
Despite the injuries the Houston Rockets face, John Wall made a trip back to D.C. to face a familiar team, the Washington Wizards. The Wizards' organization told John that they would not trade him but that clearly changed when Wall was traded for Russell Westbrook. Wall couldn't play basketball for two years because of an Achilles and ACL injury. Although Wall was seen throwing up gang signs, he apologized to the Wizards' organization for his actions.
"I called everybody and apologized about it. Nobody's perfect. We make mistakes," Wall said to Fred Katz of The Athletic. "The number one goal is, you didn't give me the opportunity for me and Brad to run it back, like y'all said we (would)," he said. "That was (my) and our ultimate goal. It was, 'OK, we're gonna give it one more shot.' If it's just one year or two years, we were gonna give it one more shot just to see. … And it's just crazy we never got to do that. I don't think they wanted to do that. I think they moved forward and did whatever they wanted, which is cool. But that was the most frustrating thing than anything. Like, to have an opportunity to run it back with my brother and playing with the guy, the level he's on now."
Bradley Beal loved the competition in Monday night's victory versus the Rockets. He had 37 points and is on a verge of becoming a starter in the All-Star game.
"I'm definitely looking forward to competing against him the rest of my career, as crazy as that may sound," Beal said.
In Wall's return, he had 29 points and 11 assists on 38% shooting. Wall was able to keep the Rockets in the first half, as they were down by three. He made a big play inside the 1st quarter, which was Wall's signature dunk. Wall is averaging 26.5 points per game and shooting 40% percent from the field against the Wizards. The Wizards' head coach Scott Brooks was impressed by Wall's performance. "He was special…He's an All-Star player," as Brooks said.
Put Him On A Poster 😤#WallWay pic.twitter.com/eY0wXbSjQe
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 16, 2021
Wall is continuing to play through adversity because of injuries to the Rockets' roster. It honestly feels like Wall is playing with one hand behind his back. Wall's leadership skills have allowed him to stay composed and support his teammates. The Rockets just lost Ray Spalding to an apparent Achilles injury. Spalding was just called up from the G-League affiliation of the Rio Grande Vipers. The Rockets were missing Eric Gordon, PJ Tucker, Victor Oladipo, and Christian Wood. Those guys were part of the Rockets win streak of six in a row.
Hopefully, Wall continues to progress through this season of injuries and COVID-19.
"Nobody's putting their heads down. Like I'm telling them every day, keep fighting, don't give up," as Wall said. "It's a bump in the road but always the next man up and just give ourselves a chance. All you can do is go out there and play hard."
Wall gave his all to the Wizards organization and still cares for the Washington D.C. community. Even though the Rockets lost, it was good to see the respect he had for that community.
Alperen Sengun had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets held on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-115 on Thursday night in a showdown between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Jalen Green finished with 27 points and Fred VanVleet scored 22 as the Rockets won their third straight and solidified their hold on second place in the Western Conference, moving 1 1/2 games ahead of Memphis.
Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return from a five-game absence with a shoulder injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Memphis. Desmond Bane had 16 points.
Houston dominated the inside early, scoring 20 points in the paint before the halfway point of the first quarter. Memphis initially couldn't stop anything at the rim. Houston opened a 17-point lead before taking a 68-63 advantage at the break.
Rockets: Houston is 12-5 on the road, including six straight wins away from home.
Grizzlies: After allowing the Rockets to score inside and build a big lead, Memphis chipped into the advantage to make it a more competitive game.
With 3.8 seconds left in the game and Houston leading 117-114, Bane fired up a 3-pointer that rattled in. But Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins called timeout before the shot was made. Bane was fouled on the ensuing inbounds, and Memphis wouldn't get another chance for a winning shot.
Houston is 19-3 when they score at least 110. Houston hasn't allowed more than 115 points in past 15 games.
The Rockets are at Atlanta on Saturday. Memphis travels to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Saturday.