The Houston Rockets have had issues with their two young stars in Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood after an altercation took place during the team’s loss to Denver. Porter Jr. ended up leaving the facility while Wood refused to check into the game during the second half.
The issue was serious, with reports suggesting that following a disagreement with Assistant Coach John Lucas, Porter Jr. had a heated exchange with him and even threw an object in his direction. After the situation had escalated, the 21-year-old left the Toyota Center while the game was going on.
Their punishment for their behavior has now been revealed, with ESPN’s Tim McMahon reporting that both will be suspended for the Rockets’ next game against the Philadelphia 76ers, set to take place on Monday night. The duo has traveled with the team but will not be allowed to take part in the game.
Reporting with @ESPN_MacMahon: The Houston Rockets are suspending Kevin Porter Jr., and Christian Wood for tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, disciplining both for poor behavior surrounding Saturday’s loss to Denver.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 3, 2022
The Rockets are on a 7-game losing streak and will face one of the league’s premier players in Philly’s Joel Embiid. Sitting dead last in the conference, Houston will miss two of their more talented players thanks to this suspension, which should work out nicely for the Sixers who happen to be on a 3-game winning streak.
Porter Jr. reportedly has anger management issues, which the team believed he had dealt with. They do seem to have resurfaced though, considering that he clearly wasn’t thinking too straight when he tried to throw something at a coach before leaving in the middle of a game.
KPJ leads Houston in assists per game, functioning as the primary playmaker for the team while Wood has been leading them in points per game and rebounds per game the entire season. Considering that the Rockets are already last in the conference though, their season shouldn’t be too badly affected by what might turn out to be another loss against the Sixers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ifyfenKHXc
