Things aren’t going well for the Wizards as opponents now are thrilled to see Washington on their upcoming schedule. After dropping a game to the lowly Hawks on Tuesday, their fifth loss in six games, Washington had to turn around and go to Houston to face the suddenly streaking Rockets.
Houston had won four in a row entering Wednesday’s game and appear to be working their way out of whatever funk they were in to start the season. Against Washington, they found little resistance and exploded for 136 points in an 18-point win, setting an NBA record for three-pointers in a game, making 26 of their 55 attempts from distance to break the old record of 25 set by the Cavs in 2017.
The Rockets’ star backcourt combined for 11 of those threes, as James Harden hit six of his 11 attempts and Chris Paul was an efficient 5-of-9 from deep. Gerald Green fired in four triples off the bench, as did Eric Gordon with the starting unit, and in all eight Rockets hit threes on the evening and six of those players had more than one.
The final threes came from Gary Clark and Michael Carter-Williams, not exactly known as a deadeye shooter, as Houston’s bench unit polished off the win with a record-setting cherry on top.
Gary Clark hits #25 and Michael Carter-Williams knocks down the 26th @HoustonRockets three-pointer to set a NEW #NBA RECORD for team 3's made in a game! pic.twitter.com/pibwgN4r7f
— NBA (@NBA) December 20, 2018
For Washington, it’s another lowlight on what’s been a miserable season in the nation’s capital. The Wizards fell to 12-20 on the season and have now lost both games since the Trevor Ariza trade. No one expected that to be an immediate fix to their problems, but it’s not exactly a great start to his tenure as each loss makes the journey to the postseason all the more difficult.
Houston, meanwhile, seems to be finding their rhythm on both ends. The offensive outburst on Wednesday night was a great sign that they’re starting to find their comfort zone with their rotation, but their defensive efforts in their four prior wins may be more important to their long term success if they are to fulfill their hopes of dethroning the Warriors in the West. They’re still a long way from that and may never get there, but they at least look the part of a contender now.
