Rockets take down Raptors to halt 20-game skid
Mar 22, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard John Wall (1) hugs head coach Stephen Silas after breaking their 20-game losing streak with a 117-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Levey /POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports
John Wall produced a triple-double as the Houston Rockets snapped their franchise-record 20-game losing streak with a 117-99 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Christian Wood, held scoreless after picking up three fouls in the first half, scored 19 points, all in the second half, and was the linchpin of the Rockets’ run to a double-digit lead in the third quarter
He scored 12 points in the period, and his floater at the 3:08 mark lifted Houston to an 86-73 lead. As with everything during their skid, things quickly grew difficult for the Rockets.
Toronto closed the third with a 13-2 run that included two Fred VanVleet 3-pointers and a Chris Boucher three-point play. The Raptors closed to within 88-87 on a free throw early in the fourth but Houston didn’t fold, following a Jae’Sean Tate 3 and continued scoring from Wood to victory.
Wall finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while Tate added 22 points, six boards and five assists. Sterling Brown added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who were without Victor Oladipo, Kevin Porter Jr., Eric Gordon and David Nwaba.
John Wall triple-double 🙌
19 PTS, 11 REB, 10 AST from @JohnWall fuels the @HoustonRockets win. pic.twitter.com/7CvcRujbXa
— NBA (@NBA) March 23, 2021
VanVleet led the Raptors with 27 points. Pascal Siakam added a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds while Norman Powell scored 19 points and Kyle Lowry 17. Toronto dropped its ninth consecutive game.
Brown buoyed the Houston offense in the first quarter, scoring 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers. But Toronto mustered a response with an 8-0 run keyed by two Paul Watson 3s and grabbed a 28-21 lead that the Rockets whittled to one point by the close of the frame.
Momentum swung like a pendulum in the second, with the Raptors taking a 49-46 lead with another 8-0 run only for the Rockets to match with an 8-0 run that moved them ahead 54-49. The final minute of the half produced end-to-end action, with Wall scoring twice before Siakam converted a three-point play prior to Danuel House Jr. hitting a 51-foot, buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Houston led 65-60 at the intermission in part by parlaying 10 Toronto turnovers into 17 points.
