With Harden out, John Wall leads Rockets to second straight win with playmaking, defense

Wall is the first NBA player since Michael Jordan in 2001 to score 50 points in his first two games after a two-year layoff.

Veteran guard John Wall led the way with a game-high 28 points and six assists on Saturday, leading the shorthanded Houston Rockets to a 102-94 win (box score) at Toyota Center over the Sacramento Kings.

With usual backcourt mate James Harden a late scratch due to a sprained ankle, Wall picked up the slack and then some, showing flashes of the form that made him a five-time NBA All-Star prior to a series of injuries. Wall missed the first two games of Houston’s 2020-21 regular season, both losses, due to a mandatory quarantine, but he has sparked the Rockets (2-2) on both offense and defense since his return.

With 50 combined points in the two games, both versus Sacramento, Wall became the first NBA player since Michael Jordan in 2001 to score 50 in his first two games after a layoff of at least two years. Using a lightning-quick first step to break down defenses, Wall has also led the Rockets with 15 assists in those games, including six on Saturday.

Perhaps most impressively, Wall has shown the fitness to deliver on the other end of the court, as well. Wall had three steals and two blocked shots on Saturday, and his defense helped limit rising Kings star De’Aaron Fox to 17-of-42 shooting (40.5%) over the two games in Houston. Sacramento (3-3) was held to only 30 points in a decisive second half, with Houston’s suffocating defense leading the way to victory.

“We heard from people that said he looked good, but we didn’t know until we got him [via trade].” head coach Stephen Silas said postgame. “Whatever expectations we had for him, he’s exceeded them.”

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Outside of Wall, Christian Wood continued his strong run with 20 points (50% shooting), 15 rebounds, and four blocks, while Eric Gordon scored 21 as a last-minute starter in place of Harden. Silas said postgame that it was too soon to know whether Harden would be able to play in Houston’s next game, which takes place Monday at home versus Dallas.

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