Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter needed another rebound to secure his first career triple-double and his teammates made sure he got it.
Porter, who is playing point guard for the Rockets this season, finished the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Needless to say, it was a close call on whether or not he would actually notch the accomplishment and he may not have gotten it without help from his teammates.
With just over a minute left in the game, following a miss from the Thunder, Houston’s Jae’Sean Tate and Josh Christopher cleared out for Porter to get the board. Christopher even jumped up and down to try to communicate to Porter that he had full clearance to steal the stat.
best play of the night: Rockets players demand Kevin Porter Jr. come get the rebound before it goes out of bounds so he can record his first ever triple-double. tremendous work environment. pic.twitter.com/rrJmgTGhsG
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 30, 2021
In fact, once Porter was finally able to secure the board and the triple-double, no one seemed happier than Christopher.
Much like when teammates encouraged Bob Sura to miss a layup and get a rebound for what would have been his third straight triple-double in 2004, it was a brilliant moment to build team chemistry for the lowly Rockets. Plus, it assuredly helped boost confidence for Porter in the process.
The main reason why John Wall is on the sidelines is to develop Houston’s young talent, and with Porter playing the same position, he is the person who most greatly benefits from Wall’s absence.
Porter became the youngest player in Rockets history to record a triple-double. He joins Steve Francis and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in franchise history to record a triple-double before turning 23 years old.
