Veteran guard John Wall led the way with 28 points and six assists on Saturday, leading the gritty Houston Rockets to a 102-94 win (box score) at Toyota Center over the Sacramento Kings.
With usual backcourt mate James Harden getting a late scratch due to a sprained ankle, Wall picked up on the slack and then some, showing flashes of form that made him an NBA All-Star five times prior to a string of injuries. Wall missed the first two games of Houston’s 2020-21 regular season, both losing, due to a mandatory quarantine, but he has fueled the Rockets (2-2) on both offense and defense since his return.
With 50 points combined in the two games, both against 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. With a lightning-fast first step to break through the defense, Wall also led the Rockets with 15 assists in those games, including six on Saturday.
Perhaps most impressively, Wall has also shown his ability to perform on the other side of the track. Wall had three stolen shots and two blocked shots on Saturday, and his defense helped limit rising Kings star De’Aaron Fox to 17-of-42 shots (40.5%) during the two games in Houston. Sacramento (3-3) was held to just 30 points in a decisive second half, with Houston’s stifling defense leading the way to victory.
“We heard from people that he looked good, but we didn’t know until we got hold of him.” head coach Stephen Silas said postgame. “Whatever expectations we had of him, he has exceeded them.”
“When I’m healthy, I can be a lockdown defender,” added Wall, who said he felt like the best shot-blocking point guard of all time.
“I bring so much more to the game than scoring,” Wall said after the game.
Outside of Wall, Christian Wood continued his strong streak with 20 points (50% shooting), 15 rebounds and four blocks, while Eric Gordon scored 21 as a last-minute starter instead of Harden. Silas said after the game it was too early to know if Harden could play in Houston’s next game, which takes place at home against Dallas on Monday.