Tag: John Wall

Rockets at Bulls: Live stream, how to watch, TV channel, start time

Sunday’s game is the second of two exhibitions between the teams. Led by John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, Houston won convincingly on Friday.

The Houston Rockets visit the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night for the second of two preseason games this weekend. If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

All-Star guard James Harden is not with the Rockets due to stringent COVID-19 testing protocols, which were implemented after his delayed arrival at training camp. Other Rockets who did not make the trip include PJ Tucker, Sterling Brown, and Christian Wood (left elbow pain).

Despite those absences, Houston still won Friday’s exhibition opener in commanding fashion, 125-104 (box score), led by strong showings from newcomers John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the second preseason game:

  • Date: Sunday, Dec. 13
  • Time: 7 p.m. Central
  • TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
  • Live Stream: fuboTV in Houston markets (watch for free)

As of late Saturday, neither team had clarified whether any players who participated on Friday would be unavailable for Sunday’s rematch. As a result, projected lineups are based on those used in the opener.

Probable starting lineups

Houston Rockets

  • Guard: John Wall (13 points, 9 assists on Friday)
  • Guard: Eric Gordon (16 points)
  • Forward: Danuel House Jr. (7 points)
  • Forward: Jae’Sean Tate (4 points, 4 rebounds)
  • Center: DeMarcus Cousins (14 points, 5 rebounds)

Chicago Bulls

  • Guard: Coby White (15 points, 6 assists on Friday)
  • Guard: Zach LaVine (12 points)
  • Forward: Lauri Markkanen (13 points, 5 rebounds)
  • Forward: Otto Porter Jr. (9 points)
  • Center: Wendell Carter Jr. (4 points, 7 rebounds)

Houston finished 44-28 (.611) in the NBA’s 2019-20 regular season and at No. 4 in the Western Conference standings, while the Bulls were 22-43 (.338) and No. 11 in the East. The Rockets won the lone game between the teams last season in a 117-94 blowout at Chicago on Nov. 9, 2019.

Sunday’s game will again be played at Chicago’s United Center, albeit without fans due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Rockets will return to Toyota Center in Houston for their final two preseason games on Tuesday and Thursday, with both taking place against San Antonio.

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Wall, Cousins hope Rockets’ opener sends message to absent teammates

“Hopefully this game tonight let them know what kind of movement we’re in, and how great of a team we could be,” Wall said postgame.

After a successful debut for new acquisitions John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins in Friday’s blowout win by the Houston Rockets, the former All-Stars weren’t shy about the message they hoped it would send.

“I think it was a good showing, whoever’s watching, whoever’s interested,” Cousins said. “It shows that it’s still a really good team here, regardless of the circumstances floating around the team right now.”

Veteran guard James Harden and forward PJ Tucker each reported late to training camp, with Harden reportedly seeking a trade during the offseason and Tucker upset over not receiving a contract extension. Neither player traveled with the rest of the team to Chicago for this weekend’s two preseason games, with both working out back in Houston.

But led by a duo of five- and four-time All-Stars in Wall and Cousins, the Rockets hoped Friday’s convincing win had made a strong case for the veterans to fully commit to the team in the coming days.

“Hopefully this game tonight let them know what kind of movement we’re in, and how great of a team we could be,” Wall said postgame.

Wall had 13 points (60% FG) and nine assists in 19 minutes, while Cousins scored 14 points (75% on 3-pointers) and grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes. Houston won the game with ease, 125-104 (box score).

“It’s still a really good team in place,” Cousins said. “It’s a lot of talent. We’re not rolling over because a few pieces are missing. … Hopefully those pieces join us, and we can continue to improve as a team.”

Houston coach Stephen Silas said pregame that both Tucker and Harden could practice as soon as Monday, with the Rockets set to return late Sunday night immediately after a second exhibition game in Chicago.

“We know what those guys can bring to our team, and how much better they can make our team,” Wall said. “We know what James can do, one of the best scorers you’ve ever seen. When you add those pieces to what we have now, I feel like we can be a very special team.”

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Rockets reaction: Postgame quotes, analysis of big win in Chicago

Eric Gordon, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Bruno Caboclo, and Stephen Silas were among the standouts from a successful preseason opener.

Eric Gordon led a balanced effort with 16 points (70% FG) in 20 minutes as the Rockets crushed the host Chicago Bulls in Friday’s preseason opener, 125-104 (box score). Houston was an astounding +33 in just 20 minutes played by the veteran shooting guard.

The Rockets were without three presumed starters in James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Christian Wood, but it didn’t seem to matter against a clearly overmatched Bulls squad at United Center.

Former All-Stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins each made healthy returns after missing the entire 2019-20 NBA season due to injury. Wall had 13 points (60.0% FG), nine assists, five rebounds, and two steals in his Houston debut, and the Rockets were +27 in 19 minutes played by the 6-foot-4 guard. Meanwhile, Cousins scored 14 points (71.4% FG) and made three 3-pointers in 15 minutes as the team’s starting center, and he also had five rebounds and two blocked shots.

See below for a compilation of game analysis, videos, and postgame quotes in several prominent areas from Friday’s matchup.

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John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins make healthy returns as Rockets rout Bulls

Wall had 13 points (60% FG) and nine assists in 19 minutes, while Cousins scored 14 points and made three 3-pointers in 15 minutes.

Former All-Stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins each made healthy returns after missing the 2019-20 NBA season due to injury as the Houston Rockets crushed the Chicago Bulls in Friday’s preseason game.

Wall had 13 points (60.0% FG), nine assists, five rebounds, and two steals in 19 minutes, and Houston outscored Chicago by 27 points with the 6-foot-4 guard on the floor. Meanwhile, Cousins scored 14 points (71.4% FG) and made three 3-pointers in 15 minutes as the team’s starting center, and he also had five rebounds and two blocked shots.

Wall hadn’t played in an NBA game since Dec. 26, 2018, following injuries to his left heel and Achilles. Meanwhile, Cousins missed all of last season after tearing his left ACL in a workout before the 2019-20 season began. With five and four previous All-Star appearances, respectively, both were acquired by Houston in the recently completed 2020 offseason.

Houston won the game, 125-104 (box score), despite being without three starters in James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Christian Wood. The Bulls were led by 15 points and six assists from starting point guard Coby White.

The Rockets and Bulls will play another exhibition game on Sunday night, also at the same United Center location.

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John Wall expects to be better than he was before Achilles injury

“I couldn’t even do certain moves, because my leg was hurting so bad. Now, I’m able to do everything at an explosive level on either side.”

For many NBA players, it can be a struggle to recapture their previous form after undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. In the case of new Houston Rockets point guard John Wall, though, he’s expecting to come back even better than before.

One reason is that Wall believes he has added to his game during his personal downtime, pointing to work on post-ups and floaters. But the biggest reason for Wall’s confidence is that he simply feels better.

Here’s what Wall said about his health at Thursday’s training camp practice, which took place on the eve of Friday’s preseason opener.

In all reality, people don’t understand. … I can’t wait to show what my bone spurs look like, and what I was playing with the last six, seven years. It was nothing I really could control. I couldn’t plant a lot, in certain ways, to shoot jump shots. I couldn’t even do certain moves, because my leg was hurting so bad. Now, I’m able to do everything at an explosive level on either side, going left or right. That makes my game a lot better than it was before.

Wall does have several advantages relative to many Achilles recovery cases. For starters, the five-time All-Star waited nearly two full years before returning to an NBA game, which allowed him extra time for strengthening and rehabilitation that many players who return the next season don’t have. Second, Wall suffered only a partial rupture and not a total tear. So between the Achilles recovery and procedures to address other issues, like the bone spurs, Wall is optimistic about his health.

“I feel good, and I look good,” Wall said with a big smile at Thursday’s interview. “I’m doing media again, so I’m happy.”

Now 30 years old, Wall has played nine NBA seasons since his selection as the top pick in the 2010 draft. The 6-foot-4 guard has averaged 19.0 points (43.3% FG) and 9.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game.

When Wall takes the court with the Rockets in Friday’s preseason opener at Chicago, it will be his first NBA action since Dec. 26, 2018.

“It’s going to be a lot of anxiousness and a lot of excitement on the floor when the jump ball goes up,” Wall said. “Once the ball touches my hands one time, it’s over. Now, let’s play basketball, get out there, have fun, just try to get better as much as we possibly can as a group. I’m enjoying this new journey I have with my new team and new city.”

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Rockets practice interviews: Tidbits from Thursday, Dec. 10

Led by a James Harden update, here are the key takeaways from media interviews with head coach Stephen Silas and point guard John Wall.

Rockets head coach Stephen Silas and five-time All-Star guard John Wall met with the media following Thursday’s training camp practice at Toyota Center in downtown Houston.

The interviews were conducted just prior to the team’s flight to Chicago, where the Rockets will face the Bulls in a pair of preseason games on Friday and Sunday nights. All-Star guard James Harden will not be with the team due to his stringent COVID-19 testing protocols, which were implemented after his delayed arrival at training camp.

In Harden’s absence, Silas said the starting lineup for Friday’s preseason opener at the United Center has yet to be finalized.

As usual, all interviews were conducted in a virtual format via Zoom, as part of the NBA’s mission to minimize potential exposure risks to league personnel during the pandemic. Here’s a look at the key quotes and videos from both Silas and Wall during Thursday’s media sessions.

Four Houston Rockets listed in ESPN’s annual top 100 player rankings

James Harden, Christian Wood, PJ Tucker, and John Wall were among ESPN’s choices for the top 100 players entering the 2020-21 NBA season.

Four members of the Houston Rockets (James Harden, Christian Wood, PJ Tucker, and John Wall) were among ESPN’s choices for the top 100 players in the upcoming 2020-21 NBA season.

An All-Star guard and the MVP or an MVP finalist in each of the past four seasons, Harden came in at only No. 9 on the 2020-21 list. “The Beard” led the league with a 34.3 points per game average last season, along with 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds on a nightly basis.

While that ninth-place ranking certainly seems low given his usual production levels, it appears to reflect the uncertainty about Harden’s state of mind after an offseason trade request and potential questions about his effort level next season, should Harden stay in Houston.

Entering the 2019-20 season, Harden ranked fourth on ESPN’s list.

As for the rest of the Rockets, Wall checks in at No. 81 on ESPN’s list. While Wall is a five-time NBA All-Star, his relatively low ranking is largely due to questions about his health, since he hasn’t played since early in 2018-19 due to a series of heel and Achilles injuries. In theory, Wall could rank much higher on that list a year from now — if he’s healthy.

The same could hold true with Wood, a 25-year-old big man who ranks No. 55 after his breakout season with the Pistons last year. Following Detroit’s trade of starting center Andre Drummond, Wood took his production to another level with averages of 22.3 points (56.2% FG, 41.0% on 3-pointers) and 9.5 rebounds per game. Should that limited sample extrapolate to his new starting role in Houston, Wood could easily jump into the game’s 50 best players in the coming season.

Meanwhile, Tucker (No. 72) remains respected around the NBA for his defense, toughness and veteran leadership — and he actually rose 10 spots on the list from No. 82 entering last season. On the other hand, veteran Houston guard Eric Gordon fell from No. 78 a year ago to out of the list entirely after an injury plagued season in 2019-20.

ESPN’s complete top 100 players list can be accessed here.

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Stephen Silas on new Rockets guard John Wall: ‘Joy to coach’

“He’s a joy to coach because he’s a coach on the floor,” Silas said of Wall, his new point guard. “But he also allows me to coach him.”

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Stephen Silas in his first training camp as an NBA head coach, since Houston Rockets star James Harden remains away from the team after requesting a trade in the offseason.

But one man who has made life a lot easier for Silas is new point guard John Wall, who the Rockets acquired from Washington in the trade that sent out Russell Westbrook. Wall said Sunday that he was embracing a leadership role in Houston, and Silas clearly confirmed it a day later.

When asked about Wall’s play on Monday, Silas said:

John Wall has looked great. He’s looked really, really good. Pushing the ball up the floor and getting everybody organized as a point guard does. Hitting guys on time and on target on passes, he’s still a little bit rusty, obviously since he hasn’t played in so long. But he’s a joy to coach, because he is a coach on the floor, but he also allows me to coach him. Which is amazing. He’s really doing a good job.

Silas said both Wall and new center DeMarcus Cousins had hit “buzzer-beating shots” to close out Houston’s intrasquad scrimmages.

Now 30 years old, Wall played nine seasons in Washington since being chosen No. 1 overall in the NBA’s 2010 draft. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19.0 points (43.3% FG) and 9.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game, and he was a better 3-point shooter in recent years than Westbrook.

The primary concern with Wall is his health, since he hasn’t played since suffering a series of heel and Achilles injuries in early 2019. But the five-time All-Star says he’s healthy after having nearly two full years to rest and rehabilitate, and his new teammates in Houston have noticed.

On Monday, here’s what backcourt mate Eric Gordon said of Wall:

Physically, he looks really good. We all know he’s really fast. He has that. He’s getting his explosiveness [back]. Playing above the rim, he’ll definitely have that. Physically, he’s back to where he was at.

The Rockets are also holding out hope that Wall’s relationship with Harden might help the franchise eventually lure the perennial MVP finalist back into the fold. While Silas said Monday that he has “no timetable” for when Harden will report, Wall said a day earlier that he had spoken with Harden and “for sure” expects him with the Rockets this season.

Silas said Monday that he believes those comments by Wall have merit, given the importance of player relationships in the NBA. His comments:

I put stock into it. Coaches and players are different, [have] different relationships. The only relationship that I have with James is the fact that he was one of the people who in the interview process recommended that I get the job. I assume the relationship that he has with John goes a lot further down the road. For that communication to happen doesn’t surprise me. We’ll see when [James] gets here.

Preseason play for Wall, Gordon, and the rest of the 2020-21 Rockets begins Friday in Chicago. It seems doubtful that Harden will join them by that time, but they plan to make the most of what they currently have.

“I’m working with the guys who are here, and we’re working hard,” Silas said after Monday’s practice. “I think we’re doing a good job.”

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John Wall awkwardly attempts to deal with questions about James Harden’s future

This is just sad.

John Wall met with the media in Houston on Sunday, as the NBA begins practicing and moves toward a return to play later this month.

This gave Wall an occasion to confirm that he had no desire to leave D.C. or the Wizards, and in fact had remained committed to both. That’s a powerful moment, and we’ll get to it in a bit.

What was probably more interesting — if not actually revealing — is what Wall had to say about Rockets star James Harden, who missed practice due to COVID-19 protocols after recently attending the birthday party of Lil Baby, where he lavished the rapper with gifts.

According to Wall, he and Harden have talked, and The Beard truly wants to stay in Houston — despite reports that he’s unhappy and would prefer a trade.

Ah, yeah, Me and James had a great talk since I’ve been traded here. We’ve been friends way before this. What’s going on right now, it’s because of the testing protocol, and things like that. We’re gonna figure out what’s the best decision when he wants to get here, and be here. We’ve been on the same page since I’ve been traded here.

For sure. That was the main reason why, talking through this whole process of what was going to happen with this trade, if it happened or did not happen. One of the reasons was we wanted to play together. I have high ability and 100 percent effort that he wants to be here and be a part of this organization, see what happens with this team and see where we can go.

Wall, of course, is in a tough spot here. He wants this press conference to be positive and he’s not about to dig in on whatever is really going on behind the scenes. But if Harden was truly dedicated to being with the Rockets, he would have adhered to the protocols put in place to ensure he could practice. Which means quarantining instead of traveling over the last week or so.

Earlier in the day, new Houston coach Stephen Silas admitted he hadn’t spoken with Harden and was cryptic when asked about Harden’s commitment to the team:

Harden, for what it’s worth, did offer … well, it’s not clear what, exactly. He posted this to his Instagram not long after Wall’s comments began filtering out.

A grimace could mean anything, of course. But the timing also can’t be ignored.

Back to Wall, though, who is trying to rebuild his career after a series of injuries and a trade out of a city he truly loved — and that loved him (read this piece from Mike D. Sykes if you don’t understand that.) Here’s how he responded to a question about making the decision to leave D.C.

[The decision] wasn’t never mine. My heart and my soul was with the organization. The hard work and dedication and sacrifice I made the last two years was with that organization. My whole mindset coming back from Miami from working out in the summer was to get back to D.C. and prepare myself for a season. I never thought this would happen. It’s a part of business. It’s a part of life. God throws his toughest battles to his strongest people. All I did was put the work in and left it in God’s hands. This is the next step that He wanted for me and the chapter He has for me. And all I can do as a young man is embrace this and move forward with life.

Wall has been a sublime player when healthy and surrounded with anything nearing a decent supporting cast. His prime is probably behind him but it’s long past time he get a chance to be part of well-constructed team that isn’t constantly roiled by drama. It looks like he won’t get that chance any time soon, though.

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John Wall says James Harden wants to play with him in Houston

“Me and James had a great talk since I’ve been traded here,” Wall said Sunday. “We’ve been on the same page since I’ve been traded.”

All-Star guard James Harden didn’t join the first Houston Rockets team practice at training camp for the 2020-21 season, apparently due to not being in compliance with the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols in recent days.

Combine Harden’s absence with the knowledge of his recent trade request to Brooklyn, and it’s easy to wonder if this is part of a plan to force his way out of Houston. According to new backcourt mate John Wall, that is not the case.

After Wall’s first practice with his new team, the five-time All-Star said he had spoken with Harden since being traded to Houston. According to Wall, he and “The Beard” want to play together with the Rockets, and he “for sure” expects Harden to join the team in the coming days.

Among Wall’s comments:

Me and James had a great talk since I’ve been traded here. We’ve been friends way before this. What’s going on right now, it’s because of the testing protocol, and things like that. We’re gonna figure out what’s the best decision when he wants to get here, and be here. We’ve been on the same page since I’ve been traded here.

On whether Wall expects Harden with the Rockets this season:

For sure. That was the main reason why, talking through this whole process of what was going to happen with this trade, if it happened or did not happen. One of the reasons was we wanted to play together. I have 100 percent (belief) he wants to be with this organization, see what happens with this team and see where we can go.

Head coach Stephen Silas said earlier Sunday he had not been in communication with Harden in recent days, so Wall’s confirmation of their dialogue could be taken as a positive sign. Wall said he was embracing a leadership role in Houston, and perhaps his first contribution on that front could be diffusing the tense situation involving Harden.

Now 30 years old, Wall played nine seasons in Washington since being chosen No. 1 overall in the NBA’s 2010 draft. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19.0 points (43.3% FG) and 9.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game.

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