The Houston Rockets are dead last in the Western Conference standings, sitting in 15th place with a terrible 10-27 record. Things have gone from bad to worse for the Rockets though, as reports have now emerged that two of their young stars in Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood had a huge bust-up with assistant coach John Lucas.
The Rockets were playing the Denver Nuggets at home, and even had the lead at the end of the first quarter. However, an abysmal second quarter saw them fall behind by 22 points going into half-time. Assistant Coach John Lucas had questioned Porter Jr.’s effort which had already lead to a reaction from the player during the first half.
In the locker room at half-time, Lucas reportedly doubled down on calling the team out for their lack of effort, especially Christian Wood. Wood reportedly missed a mandatory COVID-19 testing period and thus didn’t even start the game. Tensions being high, it seems Porter Jr. reacted and got involved in a heated exchange with Lucas.
This resulted in an object being thrown by the player at the assistant coach followed by Porter Jr. actually leaving the Toyota Center in the middle of the game. Wood was also unhappy, refusing to check back in and play for Houston in the second half.
Sources: Wood was benched to start the loss to Denver after missing a mandatory COVID-19 testing window. Lucas called out entire team at halftime, and focused on Wood's effort level. Porter had a heated exchange with the longtime assistant, and drove out of arena at halftime. https://t.co/24oAwV2GqC
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 2, 2022
Rockets coach Stephen Silas said after the game that Wood not featuring in the second half was a ‘coach’s decision’, but the reports contradict his statement. Houston eventually went on to lose the game 124-111, despite rookie Jalen Green’s valiant 29 point display.
It remains to be seen how the Rockets will discipline the youngsters but it’s evident that after an issue like this, major conversations will need to be had behind the scenes. Porter Jr. is averaging 12.8 points and 5.7 assists a game this season while Christian Wood has been putting up 16.8 points and 10 rebounds per game, so Houston will likely struggle even more if they decide to enact any harsh punishments that further alienate the duo.
