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The Washington Wizards faced the Houston Rockets on Monday night at Capital One Arena. The Wizards made 19 of their 35 3-point attempts, but that hot shooting wasn’t enough as they lost to the Rockets, 123-118.
Julian Reese, who signed a two-way contract with the Wizards on Saturday, started at center in his NBA debut with Anthony Gill (illness), Anthony Davis (finger sprain), Alex Sarr (hamstring strain) and Tristan Vukcevic (thigh contusion) all sidelined.
Kyshawn George, who made his first five shots in Saturday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, opened 3-for-4 from the field with an early eight points. Bilal Coulibaly came alive toward the end of the first half, scoring 11 of his 14 first-half points in a three-minute stretch where he made three straight 3-pointers.
But Washington had no answer for Alperen Sengün, who scored 19 first-half points as he dominated the paint. The Wizards trailed 60-51 at halftime and faced an uphill battle against a talented Rockets squad.
That battle became even tougher after three straight Wizards turnovers allowed Houston to open a 16-point advantage. But Washington refused to go away, embarking on a 10-0 run that started with Reese’s first NBA bucket and ended with a Bub Carrington triple.
Tempers flared in the third quarter when Tari Eason shoved Jamir Watkins twice before a mini scuffle broke out. Eason received two technical fouls, which resulted in his ejection. Watkins received a technical foul.
Trae Young walked onto the court to argue with officials, which resulted in his ejection. So, before Young makes his Wizards debut on Thursday, he might be suspended for Tuesday’s game for leaving the bench area during an in-game altercation.
Once the dust settled, Houston pulled away to earn a dominant victory. Washington dropped its fifth straight game and fell to 16-44 on the season.
Coulibaly finished with a season-high 23 points and made five triples, which marked a career high for threes made in a game.
Kyshawn George, who took a hard screen in the first half, left the game in the third quarter and didn’t return due to a left elbow sprain.