John Wall and Russell Westbrook, the pair of high-wage guards exchanged for each other just before training camps opened, stood by the free throw line in the middle of the fourth quarter and barked Tuesday night at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Wall, who readily acknowledged that his adrenaline was strong in his first game against the Washington Wizards after spending the previous decade with the franchise, had the upper hand and apparently wanted to make sure Westbrook heard about it.
Wall just counted all Houston Rockets points during a critical 9-2 round – getting two buckets, sinking two free throws and eliminating a 3 in the key, giving Houston a double-digit advantage in what turned into a victory 107-88. The heated exchange of words that led to the call for double technical mistakes – “just basketball games”, Wall said – happened after Wall came across a Westbrook race that led to a 5:16 mistake.
“That’s what makes two boys competitive,” said Wall, who scored nine of his 24 points in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ third straight win. “Russ has hit my ass for years. This is only the third win against Russ, I think, since I’ve been in the league. So that means he’s a damn talent for a long time.
“I know he’s going through injuries, just like me, and we’re just trying to improve, trying to lead our teams. But [it was] only two competitive guys talk in the trash. It’s not the first time we’ve talked to garbage before and we know how good it can be. “
Westbrook, whose career record in meetings with Wall dropped to 11-3 with the loss, did not take such a diplomatic approach when asked about the court discussion.
“Now listen, I’m not starting to talk,” Westbrook said. “I defend myself because I don’t just allow people to say anything, especially when they know the facts about someone on the field playing against [me]. So, I think [Wall and DeMarcus Cousins] I just started talking, because they just started winning, they started winning at that moment. So, you know, it’s cool, though. We play them again. “
Westbrook downplayed his return to Houston, who had only one player in his starting lineup last season. He only spent one season with the Rockets before requesting a transaction.
“I don’t like to lose to anyone,” said Westbrook, who had 19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 turnovers in losses, his second game back after recovering a quadriceps strain.
The wizards, however, have lost a lot this season. Washington, which is still missing a few players after several games were postponed due to COVID-19 cases, is 3-10 overall and 1-8 in the games Westbrook has played.
On the other hand, this was a game Wall was looking forward to, as the Wizards changed it, along with a protected first-round pick, to the Rockets for Westbrook. Wall has repeatedly admitted that he felt neglected that wizards did not give him a chance to continue his career in Washington after returning from Achilles heel and tendon injuries that removed him for two years.
“I feel like the organization thought I was done, no matter how much work I put in over the summer,” Wall said in a post-game interview on the Rockets television show. “They came and followed me. I thought I thought I was done. That’s why I came out here and did what I did.”
Wall had 15 points and four assists in the first half, highlighted by him dribbling side-by-side, before going back on the bandwagon and finishing with his left hand in traffic.
Wall, who had a one-minute restriction in his second game back after a five-game absence due to knee pain, struggled in the third quarter, missing all four hits on the floor and committing two turnovers. But he shut out the Wizards in the fourth, when Wall combined with Victor Oladipo to score 19 of Houston’s 32 points in the first game of the new partners on the field.
“I knew this guy [Wall] for a long time, “said Cousins, who had 19 points and 11 rebounds.” I saw his approach to big games and games that have a certain kind of importance to him. I saw him sing at a high level every time, so I didn’t expect anything less. “