Second-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points and 7 assists to help lead Houston to a 114-110 road victory (box score) at Orlando on Sunday. He made 8-of-15 shots (53.3%), including 4-of-7 on 3-pointers — representing his most treys in a single game with the Rockets.
It was an impressive turnaround for the 20-year-old, who scored just 4 points in Friday’s blowout loss to Denver on 1-of-9 shooting (11.1%). Porter also took on a greater playmaking burden in the absence of John Wall, who sat out for planned maintenance on night one of a back-to-back.
The one downside to Porter’s performance is that he was overly aggressive and fouled out after 32 minutes. However, thanks largely to his strong play, Houston had a large enough cushion to survive his early exit.
See below for a compilation of highlights and postgame reaction. With Porter in the starting backcourt, the Rockets return to action on Monday night in Miami, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central.
[lawrence-related id=47861,47857]
Kevin Porter Jr. through three quarters:
22 points‼️
3 rebounds
4 assists
1 steal8/15 FG
4/7 3FG‼️
2/2 FT
27 minutes playedFoul trouble has been an issue tonight, but still a strong bounce back game for KPJ after struggling against Denver.pic.twitter.com/syagCgKGQI
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) April 19, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBNGPVL61BM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWvR_zz_14E