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Recap: Rockets at Wizards 03/29/2015

The Rockets got their 50th win of the season with a 99-91 victory in Washington.

The Rockets were sluggish after the early tip-off with eight turnovers in the first quarter, but Washington couldn’t hit a shot. The Wizards shot 29% in the opening quarter and Houston took an eight-point lead behind 12 points from Josh Smith.

Smith has shot 34.2% overall since he’s joined the Rockets. His previous best shooting season in the NBA was 33.1% in the 2010-11 season.

In the second, Corey Brewer’s energy was unstoppable. Brewer ran up and down the court to the tune of 10 points, three boards and two dimes. James Harden also got going and finished with a game-high 14 points at the half as the Rockets held a 13-point lead.

The third quarter started much like the first with Houston missing 10 of their first 11 shots as the Wizards went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to single-digits. The Rockets finished the quarter 5-23 FG for just 17 points (compared to 14 points in the third from John Wall alone) to cling to a nine-point lead headed to the fourth.

The Wizards made a run with Harden on the bench to start the quarter and got within four points before the Beard returned and the Rockets got back up by double-digits. Harden finished with 24 points on 7-20 FG and 9-10 FT and capped the game with a beautiful blocked shot on a Beal three-point attempt.

After lighting up the third, John Wall was held to just two points in the fourth. Nick Johnson stuck to the speedy point guard like glue, including a beautiful block after staying with him for the duration of a drive from the 28-foot line to the basket.

In addition, Pablo Prigioni stepped up with a nice day at the office – finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The Rockets are in Toronto tomorrow night for the second night of a back-to-back. After playing today, Dwight Howard will not suit up against the Raptors.