In a battle of two future Hall of Fame point guards who were traded for one another last month, John Wall and the Houston Rockets will host Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. For both former All-Stars, it will be the first time to play against their old team.
For Wall, it will also be his debut alongside Victor Oladipo in the new-look Houston backcourt. Oladipo was recently acquired by the Rockets in the blockbuster James Harden trade, but Wall was out injured with left knee soreness during Oladipo’s initial three games in Houston. Then, once Wall returned from injury on Saturday in Dallas, Oladipo sat out for planned maintenance on the second night of a road back-to-back.
While the early part of Houston’s 2020-21 season was plagued by injuries, trade rumors, and quarantines, the Rockets seem to finally be getting healthier — and the team’s results are improving in kind. Houston enters Tuesday’s game at Toyota Center on a two-game winning streak, including an impressive blowout at Dallas in Wall’s return.
Danuel House Jr., who began this season as Houston’s starter at small forward, rejoined the team Monday after missing more than three weeks with back spasms and a mandatory period of self-isolation. Meanwhile, starting center Christian Wood (right ankle sprain) is moving closer to a return, though it’s unclear if it will happen in time for Tuesday’s game.
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Here’s when you should tune in to see Tuesday’s game.
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 26
- Time: 7:00 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (6-9)
- Guard: John Wall
- Guard: Victor Oladipo
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Forward: PJ Tucker
- Center: DeMarcus Cousins
Washington Wizards (3-9)
- Guard: Russell Westbrook
- Guard: Jerome Robinson
- Forward: Bradley Beal
- Forward: Isaac Bonga
- Center: Robin Lopez
In their last game, the Wizards lost convincingly to San Antonio on Sunday, 121-101 (box score). Beal led Washington with 31 points and 7 rebounds, while Westbrook struggled in his first game back after a left quadriceps injury — scoring just 9 points on 3-of-11 shooting (27.3%).
The Wizards currently have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Detroit Pistons (3-13).
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Wall downplayed the significance of a reunion matchup versus his old team, saying it would be more emotional to play his former squad in Washington — which will happen in the second half of this season. For Westbrook, it is his first return visit to Toyota Center since being traded. However, since he only played one season in Houston, it’s not nearly as significant as Wall’s eventual return to Capital One Arena.
Since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 NBA draft, Wall played nine seasons for the Wizards and earned All-Star honors five times.
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