After a heated exchange with assistant coach John Lucas at halftime on Saturday, Houston Rockets guard Kevin Poter Jr. left the Toyota Center mid-game against the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Full ESPN story with @espn_macmahon on Houston's Kevin Porter Jr., leaving arena early after halftime blowup with assistant coach: https://t.co/aTTjUwBRUe
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 2, 2022
Lucas reportedly called out the entire team at halftime and challenged Porter,who threw an object before exiting the arena. According to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, Porter Jr. is apologetic for his reaction after speaking with the team.
The assistant coach also reportedly took issue with Rockets centre Christian Wood for his effort level, which led to Wood refusing to be subbed-in for the second half. Wood had been benched to start the eventual 124-111 loss after missing a mandatory COVID-19 testing window.
Head coach Stephen Silas said Wood sitting out the second half was a “coach’s decision.”
Stephen Silas on why Christian Wood was not in the starting lineup: “He broke a team rule and I didn’t start him and then we decided not to play him in the second half.” pic.twitter.com/7TFQHFa8qK
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 2, 2022
Christian Wood leads the team in points (17.3) and rebounds (10.6), while Porter leads in assists (5.9) and is fourth in team scoring (13.0). The Rockets are currently last in the Western Conference with a 10-27 record.
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