John Wall shines on debut as Houston Rockets hold off Sacramento Kings

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Houston Rockets point guard John Wall made his presence felt from the jump in his first regular-season game for the Houston Rockets.

Playing in his first NBA game since December 2018, Wall finished with 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds in Houston’s 122-119 win over the Sacramento Kings.

HIs first points coming on a left-handed dunk in the first quarter.

“I gotta get the rust off a couple of my jump shots, but I ain’t played in two years and five days, man,” Wall said postgame. “I’m just happy to be out here.”

Wall, a five-time All-Star, had been sidelined for two calendar years with heel and Achilles injuries, but in his first regular-season outing for the Rockets he looked like his athletic self, attacking the rim and getting out in transition. 

James Harden iced the game at the free-throw line, finishing with 33 points, eight assists, and six rebounds as the new-look Rockets backcourt got off to a flying start. Sacramento had a chance to tie the game but missed two 3-point attempts in the final seconds.

"It was great to get our first win," said Wall. "My job is to help James as much as possible and to try and make it easier for him."

The Rockets were also playing their first game of the season with DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Gordon after they completed their seven-day quarantines. Gordon chipped in 17 points off the bench, while Cousins, who is also coming off a long injury layoff impressed in his 14 mnutes off the bench, recording eight points and three assists on 3-of-5 shooting, 

The two teams will face each other again in Houston on Sunday, play again in Houston on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.

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Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor for The Sporting News.