John Wall Sparks Rockets' Win in First Matchup Against the Wizards

Wall sparks Rockets' win in first matchup against former team originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

In his first game against his former team, John Wall led the Rockets to a 107-88 victory. 

The Wizards struggled with turnovers, Bradley Beal couldn't get his shot to fall consistently until it was too late and Washington's fourth-quarter struggles doomed them once again. The Wizards fall to 3-10 on the season, losing their second-straight game since returning from a long layoff. 

Here's how Wall's revenge game went down.

John Wall

All eyes were on Wall in this game, as it was his first matchup against the Wizards since they traded him and a first-round pick to Houston for Russell Westbrook. Wall said this game was personal for him. He believed the Wizards gave up on him and his aggression all game was a sign that he was out to prove the Washington front office wrong.

Wall simply came to play. He finished with 24 points and five assists, played some good defense and even broke out his signature behind-the-back layup. Wizards fans had to feel weird seeing Wall in a different jersey and it couldn't have been great to see him play so well.   

Wall vs. Beal

Wall got the better of his former backcourt mate in this one. Wall was aggressive early, ran the Rockets offense efficiently and led the way scoring the ball. When he re-entered the game midway through the fourth, Wall sparked a 24-9 run to seal the game. Beal meanwhile, struggled with his shot and was loose with the ball at times, resulting in five turnovers. 

Beal has easily had the better season to date, but after their first matchup as adversaries, it's Wall 1, Beal 0. Given how competitive both players are, Round 2 later this season should be an even better battle. 

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook still doesn't entirely look like himself out on the floor. As he continues to recover from a quad injury, Westbrook's burst isn't all the way back and it's impacted his aggression going to the rim, resulting in a few too many pull-up jump shots. He found some rhythm late by getting downhill and finishing inside, so at the very least it's a stretch he can focus on as a building block. 

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Head coach Scott Brooks said his starting point guard is healthy, just not at 100 percent basketball-wise. For the Wizards to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, they're going to need Westbrook to play at a high level. He knows it and acknowledged the need for him to get his game back on track after Sunday night's loss. Once Westbrook gets fully healthy and plays to his ability, the Wizards will be a much harder team to beat. For their sake, hopefully, that happens soon. 

Jordan Bell's activity

Bell joined the Wizards on a 10-day contract to give them some depth in the frontcourt, especially with multiple players out due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. So far, Bell has looked great.

He's all over the place on defense, whether he's deflecting passes, taking charges or sliding with guards and wings. His energy was noticeable and for an undersized center, you can't really tell that he's only 6-8. Bell was signed using the hardship exception, so either he'll have to return to the G-League when Washington gets more players back or someone else has to get cut for him to remain on the active roster. 

It's hard to know what the Wizards will do, but if he keeps playing like this it'll be hard to keep him off the floor. 

Important stretch ahead

After another loss, the Wizards find themselves in an unenviable spot toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. They've played fewer games than any other team in the league to this point, so there's plenty of time to make up ground even in a shorter season. Still, the last thing you want to be doing is battling for wins down the stretch of the season just to get into the play-in scenario. A few wins here and there go a long way. 

Washington's next two games are winnable against the Pelicans and Hawks. After that, it's a three-game stretch against the Nets and then the Heat twice. Taking the next two games would be ideal given the fact that they're set to take on two contenders early next week. 

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