[ad_1]
HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets won their preseason opener in a 125-119 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night inside the Toyota Center in Houston.
Third-year goaltender Kevin Porter Jr. led the way for the Rockets with 25 points, shooting 56.2 percent from the field, 55.5 percent from behind the arc. But it was the Rockets’ third string unit play that resulted in a victory over the Wizards.
Behind rookie Josh Christopher, who scored 11 points in the final seven minutes, the Rockets lost 103-95 midway through the fourth quarter. They outscored Washington 30-16 to close the game, as rookie Usman Garuba’s lone bucket of the night came on a late triple to help the Rockets claim an eight-point victory.
In the middle of his unofficial debut, Jaylen Green topped all rookies with 12 points on the evening. Alperen Sengun came close to a double-double in the victory after registering five points and eight rebounds in 13 minutes of action.
Second-year coach Stephen Silas has played 15 of 19 players on the roster – sorting out potential rotations heading into the coming season. As he revealed his new backcourt to Green and Porter, Silas started at five with Christian Wood, Daniel Theis and Eric Gordon.
Danuel House Jr., who scored four points in 17 minutes off the bench, took the helm as the Rockets’ sixth man.
The Wizards were led by All-Star goaltender Bradley Beal. He managed 50 percent of his shots from the ground to lead the Wizards in scoring with 18 points in 21 minutes. Newly acquired goalkeeper Aaron Holiday added 17 points (5-10 FG, 2-3 3PT) off the bench while playing 19 minutes.
In addition to his score, Porter put in an overall performance, handing out five assists and registering four rebounds in the win. If it was a regular season game, Porter could have surpassed the 50 and 10 performances that put him on the NBA’s radar last season against the Milwaukee Bucks.
After a relentless victory over the Wizards, the Rockets return to their home turf on Thursday for their second preseason game against the Miami Heat. Kick-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. CT.
[ad_2]
Source link