Starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. and starting center Christian Wood are each being suspended one game by the Houston Rockets for their roles in Saturday’s mid-game incidents at Toyota Center.
Wood had already been benched by head coach Stephen Silas to start Saturday’s home game versus Denver, reportedly due to missing a mandatory COVID-19 testing window earlier in the day. Thus, the latest round of discipline is for the events that followed during the game.
Both Wood and Porter will serve their suspensions during Houston’s game on Monday night at Philadelphia. ESPN reporters Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski, who broke the news of the suspensions on Monday morning, have more details in their latest story:
Porter and Wood traveled with the Rockets to Philadelphia on Sunday, but Silas made the decision to sit out both players after separate episodes involving the two players.
Wood showed little inclination to check into Saturday’s game when Silas called upon him, sources said, and Silas quickly moved on to other players. … Porter became angry after (assistant coach) John Lucas challenged him at the half, revisiting an issue that led to the guard to losing his composure on the bench during the first half, sources said.
Lucas also confronted Wood at halftime during what Silas described as a “spirited debate” without offering any specifics. At least one other of the team’s young players challenged Wood, telling him that as a veteran, Wood should be setting a standard, sources said.
Silas will address the situation further at his standard pregame news conference with reporters before Monday’s game.
With Wood and Porter sidelined, veteran reserves such as big man Daniel Theis and swingman Garrison Mathews should see bigger roles.
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ESPN story with @espn_macmahon on Rockets suspending Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood vs. Sixers tonight: https://t.co/e1kwIQwgMV
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 3, 2022
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