The Washington Wizards laid an egg on Wednesday, losing to the woeful l Houston Rockets 114-111.
The Wizards slept through the first quarter. Bradley Beal fouled out with over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Then the Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. put the Wizards out of their misery with a three off the wing over Raul Neto with 0.4 seconds remaining.
The win snapped the Rockets’ eight-game losing streak. The loss drops the Wizards to 3-4 in their last seven games. The Rockets are now 11-28 on the season. Meanwhile, the Wizards fell back to .500 at 19-19.
1. Wizards dug early hole with slow start
The Wizards slept through the first three minutes of the game. They missed four of their first five shots and committed four turnovers in that span. The Rockets scored the first nine points and jumped out to a 12-2 lead.
Houston ultimately led by as many as 12 in the first quarter, and the Wizards played uphill throughout the night.
2. Bradley Beal fouled out
Beal led the Wizards with 27 points but his night was a struggle. He shot 9-of-25 from the field. He also struggled with foul trouble. Then with 9:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, he was called for pushing off on a stepback jumper, picking up his sixth and final foul.
Fouled out of the game, Beal could only look on from afar, as the Wizards tried to erase a 10-point deficit.
3. Porter’s game-winner
The Wizards chipped away with Beal fouled out. Raul Neto scored on a driving layup after a goaltending call that tied the game at 111-111 with 22.6 seconds remaining.
Off a timeout, the Rockets played for the final shot with the ball in the hands of Kevin Porter Jr. Porter dribbled the clock down forcing the Wizards to switch Neto on him. Then, Porter stepped back and drained the three with 0.4 second remaining.
The Wizards went to Monday night’s hero, Kyle Kuzma, in a last ditch attempt. However, his corner three fell short as time expired.
Porter was Houston’s hero after he and Christian Wood were suspended for one-game for poor behavior in a loss Saturday against Denver. Wood was tied with rookie Jalen Green for a team-high 22 points in the win over the Wizards.
4. Wizards’ shooting woes helped sink them
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tried to pick up the slack for the Wizards with 26 points. He shot 10-of-16, including 5-of-9 from three. However, the rest of the team shot 5-of-30 from three, including Beal going 3-of-8.
Kuzma, who scored 24 points, was dreadful, 0-of-8 from three. Deni Avdija continues to struggle shooting. The 21-year old shot 2-of-12 from the field and 1-of-7 from three.
5. Nightmare matchup for Daniel Gafford
The Wizards center Daniel Gafford was limited to 20 minutes in large due to early foul trouble and the Rockets not having a traditional center. Gafford only took three shots and struggled to keep up with the small and fast Rockets.
Gafford finished the game with five points and seven rebounds. He was game-worst minus-13. The Rockets’ small ball approach and spacing on the floor was problematic for Gafford. Ultimately, Wes Unseld Jr. had to counter with a smaller lineup to keep up.
