Alperen Sengun and the Rockets gave the Wizards fits, as the Wizards drop their 3rd straight game on this 4-game road trip.
The Washington Wizards lost to the Houston Rockets on Monday night, 107-92.
On the surface, one could look at the stat line and think the Wizards played a decent defensive game, that gave them a chance to stay in the game, but the stats don’t tell the whole story.
Rockets’ size and athleticism was on full display in this one, as they never trailed in this game. Offensively, the Wizards were not sharp either. The team as a whole shot 40 percent from the field, and even when they had chances to get back in the game in the 3rd quarter, they committed 5 turnovers in that frame, which prevented them from getting any closer than 6 points.
Overall the team also struggled to contain Rockets’ Center Alperen Sengun, who had a game-high 27 points along with 17 rebounds. Sengun did most of his damage around the basket. At some point, the Wizards started sending help to try to double Sengun, but it just didn’t work, as he got what he wanted around the basket consistently in this game.
The key stat tonight was rebounding. Wizards were outrebounded 58-34. The Wizards just could not close out possessions as the Rockets grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and was able to get 19 2nd chance points from those.
Wizards drop this one and will now wrap up this 4-game road trip with a Wednesday night game against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Takeaways
Kyle Kuzma Returns
Kyle Kuzma returns tonight after missing the last five games. He struggled from the field for most of the night, shooting 7 – 18 from the field, and finishing with 18 points.
Points in the Paint crushed the Wizards
While the Wizards were able to hold the Rockets to 21 percent 3 point shooting, they simply could not keep the Rockets out of the paint. Rockets outscored the Wizards with points in the paint, 58-38.