John Wall scored a team-high 24 points in his first match-up with his former team as host Houston Rockets earned a 107-88 victory over the short-handed Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
Eric Gordon and Victor Oladipo added 20 apiece for Houston, which extended its season-best winning streak to three games.
DeMarcus Cousins tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for Houston, which played without center Christian Wood (ankle).
Beal does well
Washington’s Bradley Beal, the league’s leading scorer, tallied 33 points on 12-of-28 shooting, while Russell Westbrook, traded for Wall in the off-season, added 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
In Salt Lake City, Royce O’Neale scored a career-high 20 points and Rudy Gobert dominated the interior as Utah Jazz defeated New York Knicks for its ninth straight victory.
Gobert hauled in 19 rebounds to go with 18 points and four blocked shots, and Mike Conley scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half.
New York’s losing run
Austin Rivers led New York with 25 points, including hitting 5 of 7 3-point attempts, but he was held scoreless in the second half after going 10-for-10 from the floor in a red-hot first half.
Trae Young returned to the line-up and scored 38 points, helping host Atlanta Hawks defeat short-handed Los Angeles Clippers.
Back spasms
The Clippers were playing without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (health and safety protocols) plus Patrick Beverley (right knee soreness). Reggie Jackson led Los Angeles with 20 points and eight assists.
The results: Atlanta 108 bt LA Clippers 99; Utah 108 bt New York 94; Houston 107 bt Washington 88.
