Game ID: 22300992
Houston Rockets @ Washington Wizards
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
WAS 36 21 25 32 114HOU 39 21 41 36 137
HOU @ WAS ScoutingHOU @ WAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
WAS availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Bagley III missed 3 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Champagnie missed 4 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Butler missed 4 since 3/04, returns tonight: 10 min (72% of 14)
BACK Coulibaly back 3/04 after 3, 31 min since (115% of 27)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 3/10 after 6, 11 min since (85% of 13)
WAS availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Bagley III missed 4 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Holmes missed 2 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Champagnie missed 5 since 3/04, returns tonight: 3 min (19% of 16)
BACK Coulibaly back 3/04 after 3, 31 min since (116% of 27)
BACK Butler back 3/12 after 4, 10 min since (72% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 3/10 after 6, 11 min since (87% of 13)
NEW Avdija 30 to 35 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Bagley III missed 5 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Holmes missed 3 since 3/10, returns tonight: 26 min (139% of 19)
BACK Champagnie back 3/14 after 5, 3 min since (19% of 16)
BACK Butler back 3/12 after 4, 12 min since (85% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 3/10 after 6, 11 min since (88% of 13)
NEW Avdija 30 to 36 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 3/17 · back-to-backOUT Bagley III missed 6 since 3/06, out tonight
BACK Holmes back 3/16 after 3, 26 min since (139% of 19)
BACK Champagnie back 3/14 after 5, 14 min since (89% of 16)
BACK Butler back 3/12 after 4, 15 min since (108% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 3/10 after 6, 13 min since (97% of 13)
NEW Avdija 30 to 36 min over the last 4
NEW Kispert 26 to 32 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 3/19 · 1 day's restOUT Avdija missed 2 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Jones missed 2 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Bagley III missed 7 since 3/06, out tonight
BACK Holmes back 3/16 after 3, 23 min since (121% of 19)
BACK Champagnie back 3/14 after 5, 21 min since (136% of 16)
BACK Butler back 3/12 after 4, 17 min since (120% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 3/10 after 6, 16 min since (126% of 13)
NEW Coulibaly 27 to 33 min over the last 4
WAS availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Kuzma missed 2 since 3/17, returns tonight: 37 min (112% of 33)
OUT Avdija missed 3 since 3/16, returns tonight: 32 min (106% of 30)
OUT Jones missed 3 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Bagley III missed 8 since 3/06, out tonight
BACK Holmes back 3/16 after 3, 24 min since (127% of 19)
BACK Champagnie back 3/14 after 5, 24 min since (152% of 16)
BACK Butler back 3/12 after 4, 20 min since (140% of 14)
NEW Coulibaly 27 to 32 min over the last 3
NEW Baldwin Jr. 13 to 18 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Jones missed 4 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Bagley III missed 9 since 3/06, returns tonight: 16 min (68% of 24)
BACK Kuzma back 3/21 after 2, 37 min since (112% of 33)
BACK Avdija back 3/21 after 3, 32 min since (106% of 30)
BACK Holmes back 3/16 after 3, 25 min since (134% of 19)
BACK Champagnie back 3/14 after 5, 21 min since (132% of 16)
NEW Butler 14 to 22 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Jones missed 5 since 3/16, out tonight
BACK Kuzma back 3/21 after 2, 35 min since (109% of 33)
BACK Avdija back 3/21 after 3, 34 min since (113% of 30)
BACK Bagley III back 3/23 after 9, 16 min since (68% of 24)
BACK Holmes back 3/16 after 3, 26 min since (138% of 19)
NEW Kispert 26 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Champagnie 16 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Butler 14 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Davis 12 to 19 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Jones missed 6 since 3/16, out tonight
BACK Kuzma back 3/21 after 2, 35 min since (109% of 33)
BACK Avdija back 3/21 after 3, 34 min since (113% of 30)
BACK Bagley III back 3/23 after 9, 17 min since (70% of 24)
NEW Kispert 26 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Holmes 19 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Champagnie 16 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Butler 14 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Baldwin Jr. 13 to 20 min over the last 5
NEW Davis 12 to 20 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Je. Green missed 2 since 3/06, returns tonight: 11 min (63% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 6 min since (36% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tate missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 13 min (82% of 16)
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 11 min since (63% of 17)
HOU availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restBACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 12 min since (74% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 9 min since (59% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 2 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 13 min since (75% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 11 min since (70% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/19 · 2 days' restOUT Whitmore missed 3 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 16 min since (95% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 13 min since (84% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 20 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 4 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 16 min since (97% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 14 min since (86% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 21 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/23 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 5 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 12 min since (73% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 6 since 3/12, out tonight
NEW Thompson 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Landale 14 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 7 since 3/12, out tonight
NEW Thompson 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Je. Green 17 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Landale 14 to 23 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Avdija at 19 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 15 a night. Without Avdija (2 straight), Jones (2 straight), Bagley III (7 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 25 and VanVleet at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-2 a night and Washington minus-15 and the defense, Houston allowing 107 a night to Washington's 122. Call it Houston 118, Washington 111.
3/12 @ MEM 97-109 — WAS notes
WAS lost 97-109. WAS shot 45% (37 of 82) to MEM's 45%, 11 of 36 from three. The glass went 28-53 against them. Kuzma led with 24 (10 of 18, 1 of 4 from three); Kispert added 22, Avdija 16. Q3 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 25 to 17, but the other 3 periods went 84-64 against them. Jones's -17 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/14 @ HOU 119-135 — WAS notes
WAS lost 119-135. WAS shot 49% (46 of 93) to HOU's 59%, 12 of 38 from three. The glass went 32-47 against them. Poole led with 25 (10 of 19, 5 of 12 from three); Avdija added 24, Kuzma 23. Q3 was theirs, 39-35, the deficit cut from 19 to 15, but the other 3 periods went 100-80 against them. Jones's -19 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/16 @ CHI 98-127 — WAS notes
WAS lost 98-127. WAS shot 43% (36 of 84) to CHI's 58%, 13 of 32 from three, and got to the line 22 times to CHI's 29. The glass went 32-51 against them. Kispert led with 16 (6 of 12, 3 of 6 from three); Coulibaly added 15, Poole 13. Q4 was theirs, 29-32, but the other 3 periods went 95-69 against them. Omoruyi's -17 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/17 vs BOS 104-130 — WAS notes
WAS lost 104-130. WAS shot 46% (41 of 89) to BOS's 49%, 10 of 34 from three, and got to the line 14 times to BOS's 24. Poole led with 31 (12 of 19, 3 of 6 from three); Champagnie added 14, Gill 13. Q4 was theirs, 26-22, the deficit cut from 30 to 26, but the other 3 periods went 108-78 against them. Kispert's -19 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/19 vs HOU 114-137 — WAS notes
WAS lost 114-137. WAS shot 43% (42 of 98) to HOU's 52%, 15 of 39 from three, and got to the line 20 times to HOU's 36. Kispert led with 16 (6 of 11, 4 of 7 from three); Champagnie added 16, Bernard 16. Q2 was theirs, 21-21, but the other 3 periods went 116-93 against them. Kispert's -27 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/21 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 128, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Kuzma at 19 and Poole at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Without Kuzma (2 straight), Avdija (3 straight), Jones (3 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 100, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Fox at 23 and Sabonis at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Lyles (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-7 a night and Washington minus-13 and the defense, Sacramento allowing 100 a night to Washington's 128. Call it Sacramento 120, Washington 111.
3/23 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 126, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Poole at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Jones (4 straight), Bagley III (9 straight). One day's rest. Toronto comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 117, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Trent Jr. at 21 and Quickley at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Barrett (5 straight), Quickley (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Washington wins, and the game turns on the defense, Toronto allowing 117 a night to Washington's 126 and the turnovers, Toronto giving it away 18 times a game to Washington's 15. Call it Washington 116, Toronto 114, Toronto keeping it close.
3/25 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 116, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Dosunmu at 23 and DeRozan at 21 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Kuzma at 19 and Poole at 18 a game. Without Jones (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Washington giving it away 15 times a game to Chicago's 11. Call it Chicago 119, Washington 112.
3/27 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Poole at 20 and Kispert at 14 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Jones (6 straight). One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 107, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 18 free throws a game; Thomas at 24 and Bridges at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: Washington wins, and the game turns on the defense, Brooklyn allowing 107 a night to Washington's 117 and the arc, Washington at 33 percent from three to Brooklyn's 29. Call it Washington 113, Brooklyn 112, Brooklyn keeping it close.
3/10 @ SAC 112-104 — HOU notes
HOU won 112-104. HOU shot 46% (39 of 84) to SAC's 45%, 12 of 29 from three. VanVleet led with 22 (5 of 8, 2 of 4 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Ja. Green added 19, Sengun 14. The hinge was Q3, 32-14: HOU came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 13, and the lead reached 17. HOU trailed 54-59 at the half and won the second half 58-45. Smith Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
3/12 @ SAS 103-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 103-101. HOU shot 46% (37 of 80) to SAS's 48%, 10 of 32 from three, and went to the line 21 times to SAS's 14 — 19 points from the stripe to their 12. VanVleet led with 21 (7 of 16, 3 of 9 from three); Ja. Green added 16, Smith Jr. 15. The hinge was Q3, 32-25: HOU came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 4. HOU trailed 44-47 at the half and won the second half 59-54. Landale was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/14 vs WAS 135-119 — HOU notes
HOU won 135-119. HOU shot 59% (51 of 87) to WAS's 49%, 12 of 28 from three. The glass went 47-32 for them. Ja. Green led with 37 (15 of 23, 5 of 9 from three); VanVleet added 27, Thompson 20. The hinge was Q2, 42-25: a lead of 2 became 19, and the lead reached 24. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/16 vs CLE 117-103 — HOU notes
HOU won 117-103. HOU shot 48% (47 of 98) to CLE's 45%, 15 of 42 from three, and got to the line 12 times to CLE's 20. HOU turned it over 9 times to CLE's 15. Ja. Green led with 26 (9 of 20, 4 of 9 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Smith Jr. added 20, Thompson 18. The hinge was Q2, 36-25: a lead of 5 became 16, and the lead reached 27. Smith Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
3/19 @ WAS 137-114 — HOU notes
HOU won 137-114. HOU shot 52% (47 of 91) to WAS's 43%, 13 of 39 from three, and went to the line 36 times to WAS's 20 — 30 points from the stripe to their 15. Ja. Green led with 42 (12 of 21, 7 of 13 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); Thompson added 25, Smith Jr. 18. The hinge was Q3, 41-25: a lead of 3 became 19, and the lead reached 25. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
3/21 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 28 and VanVleet at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (4 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; DeRozan at 24 and Vučević at 19 a game. Without White (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 108 a night to Chicago's 117. Call it Houston 118, Chicago 110.
3/23 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 29 and Thompson at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Whitmore (5 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 18 free throws a game; Sexton at 22 and George at 17 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Clarkson (5 straight), Lofton Jr. (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 36 percent from three to Utah's 30 and the turnovers, Utah giving it away 15 times a game to Houston's 12. Call it Houston 120, Utah 111.
3/25 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 34 and VanVleet at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Whitmore (6 straight). One day's rest. Portland comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Simons at 18 and Henderson at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Sharpe (34 straight), Ayton (2 straight), Thybulle (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-6 a night and Portland minus-1 and the arc, Houston at 41 percent from three to Portland's 37. Call it Houston 121, Portland 110, Houston by 11.
3/27 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 22 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 32 and VanVleet at 16 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 39 percent from three to OKC's 33. Call it OKC 116, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAH A. Holiday
AT A. Thompson
BM B. Marjanović
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
JG Je. Green
NW N. Williams
RB R. Bullock Jr.
WASAG A. Gill
CK C. Kispert
JB J. Bernard
JB J. Butler
JC J. Champagnie
JD J. Davis
JP J. Poole
PB P. Baldwin Jr.
RH R. Holmes
HOU/WAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jalen Green's 42 points lift the Rockets to their 6th straight win, 137-114 over the Wizards
WASHINGTON -- — Jalen Green tied a career high with 42 points, and the Houston Rockets closed the third quarter on a 25-6 run en route to their sixth straight victory, 137-114 over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
Houston is now just 2 1/2 games behind Golden State for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. Amen Thompson scored 25 points for the Rockets, and Fred VanVleet had seven points and 11 assists.
“I've had runs where I'd get hot and cool down,” Green said. “My main goal is just to keep building on the hot streaks and be as consistent as possible and affect the game in ways even when I'm not scoring the ball well.”
Corey Kispert scored 16 points for Washington, which was without Kyle Kuzma (left shoulder), Deni Avdija (right knee), Tyus Jones (back) and Bilal Coulibaly (right wrist).
Even with all those absences, the Wizards shot well enough from 3-point range to make a game of it for 2 1/2 quarters. Then Green broke a 76-all tie with two straight 3s and a three-point play, making it 85-76. After a couple Washington free throws, the Rockets scored seven more points in a row and it was never close after that.
“Really it was the last six minutes of the third,” Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe said. “That game was back and forth, pretty much the whole game until that point. Obviously Green, we made a couple blown coverages on some of our pick-and-roll stuff and he got hot. And it was hard to turn him off after that.”
Green scored 15 points in the third quarter and finished the game with 10 rebounds. His previous season high in points was 37 — last Thursday against Washington.
Jabari Smith Jr. scored 18 points with 14 rebounds for the Rockets. Justin Champagnie and Jules Bernard scored 16 points apiece for the Wizards.
“I think we had eight of the nine guys in double figures,” Keefe said. “So there were a lot of positives.”
Jock Landale had seven of Houston's 11 blocked shots. Washington's Jordan Poole had six of his shots blocked, five by Landale. Poole scored 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Champagnie banked in a shot from midcourt to end the first quarter, cutting Houston's lead to three. The Rockets led 60-57 at halftime.
“My message was: We’re messing around with the game,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “We're scoring at a high enough clip, but we got to guard.”
Washington has won only four games at home this season, one fewer at Capital One Arena than North Carolina State's college team won at the ACC Tournament just last week . After five straight losses, the Wizards have the NBA's worst record at 11-58. They are 1 1/2 games behind Detroit.