During halftime of Saturday night’s game between the Rockets and Nuggets in Denver, Houston guard Kevin Porter Jr. reportedly got into a heated discussion and refused to return to the court. He eventually left the Toyota Center during the second half, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski.
Rockets assistant John Lucas reportedly called out the team at halftime, specifically focusing on the effort level of Christian Wood, who was benched to start the game after missing a COVID-19 test, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. A heated exchange ensued, and Porter left the arena entirely.
The Nuggets went on to win, 124–111. Porter finished the game with eight points and three assists on 3-for-5 shooting in 16 minutes.
Porter, 21, was at the center of a similar incident earlier in his career. As a member of the Cavaliers, he reportedly was involved in a locker room dispute surrounding his locker assignment. Porter threw food and grew angry when his locker was moved to the wall where younger and end-of-bench players reside. Cleveland eventually traded Porter for a second-round pick.
Porter, who was the No. 30 pick in the 2019 draft, has started 22 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists on 36.6% shooting from the field.
