Porter’s 3 provides dramatic end to skid
WASHINGTON — This time, when Kevin Porter Jr. walked it off, Rockets coach Stephen Silas was waiting with a long, tight hug.
A day after Porter said he would “do whatever it takes” to return from his suspension with a win, he did just enough, just in time.
A game that began with Christian Wood coming back from a one-game suspension with a rapid bolt of scoring, ended when Porter came back to nail the gamewinning, losing streak-busting 3-pointer that lifted the Rockets past the Wizards 114-111 on Wednesday night at the Capital One Center.
Porter had scored one secondhalf point when he took a screen from Jalen Green, had Wizards guard Raul Neto switch onto him and then nailed his game-winning 3-pointer with four-tenths of a second left.
“I’ve been waiting for the opportunity like that since the Lakers game,” said Porter, who joined Wood in serving a suspension Monday. “I had a shot just like that, but I missed that one. When I got this opportunity, that shot, I was so locked in, I knew it was going in once it left my hand.”
That ended the Rockets’ losing streak at eight games with the players that had been the centers of attention for Saturday’s incidents that brought the suspensions turning into differencemaking stars.
“It’s funny how this league is and life is where we were 48 hours ago and where we were tonight,” Silas said. “C-Wood played about as solid a game as he has played all season, focused and attacking, rebounding, and on every coverage. He was so good tonight. And then, Scoot struggled, made plays for his teammates, then making the game-winner, it’s funny how life
is.”
The Rockets had lost a fivepoint lead in the closing seconds but had time to set up a final play, giving Porter the option to get the ball to Green or take advantage of a switch.
Green scored 22 points, in a way coming back, too, after a struggle Monday in Philadelphia when he made just 3 of 12 shots. When the Rockets held on, Kyle Kuzma’s rushed 3-pointer to force overtime falling short, Green finished a game that the Rockets won for the first time since the second game of the season.
“Man, it felt great,” Green said. “It just felt great because of how hard we’ve been working. We’ve been waiting for this, to close out a game.”
The moment, however, might have meant even more to Porter and Silas after the tumult at halftime of the previous game Porter played, Saturday’s loss to the Nuggets when Porter left the arena in the second half.
“Coach Silas, he means everything to me, and we mean everything to him,” said Porter, who had made 2 of 12 shots before the game-winner. “A game like this happens, especially after what we’ve been going through, hugs and love is all you can give, man. We shared a moment.”
Silas said he did not say anything during that long embrace. Nothing needed to be said.
“It’s (about) the love for these guys and how much you care about them,” Silas said. “You don’t like to see them go through stuff. But when they do go through stuff and they bounce back like both C-Wood and Scoot did, I’m just happy for them and had to show them.
“There’s times you just want to hug a guy like that. That was the perfect opportunity. I probably would have hugged him that way make or miss. That was a really, really good moment, one of the best moments of the year.”
Wood started the game scoring six points with three rebounds and a steal in the first two minutes and finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.
He said he had apologized to the team, Silas and general manager Rafael Stone. But he had reason to especially enjoy coming back with a win.
“Bounce-back game, showed the growth that K.P and I had,” Wood said. “We have to keep at it.”
The Rockets had their opening when rookie Josh Christopher cut off Bradley Beal on a drive and drew the Wizards star’s sixth foul with 9:10 still left and with Houston up seven.
The Rockets led by five in the final minute, but with a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3-pointer and a Neto drive that ended with goaltending by Green, the game was tied again. That left the Rockets with 23.2 seconds to shoot for the win.
“Being able to experience those moments, now we know what to do,” Porter said. “We’re going to stick together through thick and thin. I think we showed that tonight to bounce back. We needed this one.”