Wizards rookie point guard John Wall notched his first career triple-double Wednesday night leading Washington to a much needed 98-91 victory over the hapless Houston Rockets (1-6) from the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
Coming off a two-game slide after losing to New York and Cleveland, the Wizards (2-4) came out with an impressive defensive effort holding the struggling Rockets to just 39% shooting on the night.
Wall led the charge capping off his 19-point, 10-rebound, 13-assist effort with an incredible six steals and a block. The 6-4 Wizards' wonderchild was all over the court pushing the ball in transition on offense and frequently getting in the passing lanes on defense.
At halftime Wall already had 13 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, but the most important statistic for the young franchise floor general was the single turnover he registered in the winning box score. Especially after combining for a total of 23 miscues in his last three games.
If there is one thing we have learned about John Wall this early NBA season it's that he is definitely not lacking confidence. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging an impressive 19.3 points, 10.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 steals per game this season.
Always aggressive, the speedy playmaker attacks at both sides of the court with the same tenacity. He doesn't take plays off and he is already the clear leader of this young Wizards team with just six NBA games under his belt.
Wizards' small forward Al Thornton chipped in with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Gilbert Arenas, playing in just his third game of the season, struggled mightily to find his groove finishing with just 5 points on 1 of 7 shooting from the field in 23 minutes of action.
However, Arenas did contribute a key assist to none other than John Wall in the first half on a nice one-hand alley-oop dunk.
Wiry shooting guard Kevin Martin led the Rockets with a game-high 31 points on 8 of 18 shooting from the floor and 13 of 15 from the free throw line. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and handed out 6 assists in the losing effort.
Luis Scola scored 24 points and Ishmael Smith, filling in for injured starter Aaron Brooks, added 12 points and 3 assists in 26 minutes of action.
Unfortunately the Rockets lost center Yao Ming midway through the first quarter to an apparent strained tendon in his left leg.
Yao had one rebound and zero points when he gingerly walked to the locker room without much assistance. No news regarding the significance of the injury or how long he stands to be out has been reported at this time.
Game Notes: The Wizards out-rebounded the Rockets 51-44...Magic Johnson sat courtside along with Wizards' owner Ted Leonsis...Rookie phenom John Wall became the third youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double behind LeBron James and Lamar Odom.
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© 2010 Jarrod Gillis -- All Rights Reserved
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