John Wall and Russell Westbrook, the pair of point guards with maximum salaries who were swapped for each other just before the training camps opened, stood by the free-throw line in the middle of the fourth quarter and barked at each other Tuesday night at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Wall, who immediately admitted his adrenaline was pumping in his first game against the Washington Wizards after spending the past decade with the franchise, had the upper hand and apparently wanted to make sure Westbrook heard about it.
Wall had just taken all of the Houston Rockets’ points on a critical 9-2 run – getting two buckets, sinking two free throws and throwing a 3 in the key spurt, giving Houston a two-digit lead in what in the end it was a victory of 107-88. The heated altercation that led to double technical fouls being called – “just basic basketball trash talk,” Wall said – happened after Wall stumbled on a Westbrook drive that resulted in an error with 5:16 remaining.
“That’s what two competitive guys do,” said Wall, who had nine of his 24 points in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ third straight win. “Russ has been kicking me in the ass for years. This is only my third win against Russ, I think, since I’ve been in the league. So that means he’s a great talent.
“I know he’s going through injuries like me, and we’re just trying to get better by leading our teams. [it was] just two competitive guys talking. This isn’t the first time we’ve talked to each other before, and we know how good he can be. “
Westbrook, whose career record dropped to 11-3 in meetings with Wall with the loss, did not take such a diplomatic approach when asked about the discussion in court.
“Listen, I’m not starting to talk,” Westbrook said. “I defend myself because I don’t just let people say anything, especially when I know the facts, as it’s about everyone on the field playing against [me]. I think so [Wall and DeMarcus Cousins] just started talking s — because they just started to win, started to win at that point. So, you know, it’s cool though. We play them again. “
Westbrook downplayed the significance of his return to Houston, which had only one player in the base last season who was his teammate. He only spent one season with the Rockets before filing for a trade.
“I don’t like losing to anyone,” said Westbrook, who had 19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 turnovers in the loss, his second game back after recovering from a quadriceps load.
However, the Wizards have lost a lot this season. Washington, which is still missing some players after several games were postponed due to COVID-19 matters, is 3-10 overall and 1-8 in games that Westbrook has played.
On the other hand, this was a game Wall looked forward to as the Wizards traded him, along with a protected future first round pick, for the Rockets for Westbrook. Wall has admitted several times to feeling belittled that the Wizards did not give him a chance to continue his career in Washington after coming back from heel and Achilles tendon injuries that sidelined him for two years.
“I just feel like the organization thought I was done, no matter how much hard work I put in this summer,” Wall said during a post-game interview on the Rockets televised show. They came to see me. I thought they thought I was done. That’s why I came here and did what I did. ‘
Wall had 15 points and four assists in the first half, culminating in dribbling from coast to coast before going into the lane behind his back and ending up in traffic with his left hand.
Wall, who had a minute restriction in his second game after an absence of five games due to a sore knee, struggled in the third quarter, missed all four shots from the floor and made two turnovers. But he closed the Wizards in the fourth, when Wall teamed up with Victor Oladipo to score 19 of Houston’s 32 points in the new defensive partners’ first game together.
‘I knew this man [Wall] “said Cousins, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds.” I’ve seen him approach big games and games that have a certain kind of importance to him. I’ve seen him perform at a high level every time, so I didn’t expect anything less. “