Houston Rockets

Have a night, Kevin Porter Jr. 

The second-year player absolutely went off Thursday, scoring 50 points to go along with 11 assists and five rebounds in the Houston Rockets' 143-136 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. 

He also hit nine three-pointers in the victory. 

And all of that a night after Porter was fined $50,000 for violating the NBA's Health and Safety Protocols for attending a strip club with Sterling Brown earlier in April and two nights after he struggled mightily from the field:

It might have helped the league-worst Rockets (16-47) that superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo played just one minute in the game, leaving early with a sprained right ankle. 

But with or without the Greek Freak, the Bucks weren't stopping Porter on Thursday. 

It's been an interesting two years for the 20-year-old, who wore out his welcome with the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this year, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Jan. 18:

"Porter hasn't played and has largely been away from the team this season for what has been termed personal reasons. He was working his way back and attended his first game Friday night when the Cavs beat the New York Knicks.

"That night, however, he had a screaming match with team officials after his locker was moved to an auxiliary area to accommodate new teammate Taurean Prince, who arrived from the Brooklyn Nets with Jarrett Allen in a trade last week. After the episode, Porter was told to clean out his locker and other members of the roster were informed he'd no longer be on the team, sources said."

Days later, he was traded to the Rockets for a future second-round pick.

As a rookie, Porter appeared in 50 games, averaging 10 points per contest and showing legitimate promise. He's built on that this year with the added playing time granted to him by the bottom-dwelling Rockets, averaging 15.2 points per game (albeit while shooting 41.1 percent from the field and just 28.7 percent from three). 

The Rockets can afford to give him minutes as they rebuild in the shadow of the James Harden trade. On Thursday, Porter made the most of those minutes and then some. 

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was fined $50,000 for violating the league's health and safety protocols when he entered a club in Miami on April 19.

The NBA announced he was fined for violating the protocols, "which among other things prohibit attending indoor social gatherings of 15 or more people or entering bars, lounges, clubs or similar establishments." 

Houston lost on the road to the Miami Heat that night.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported last Wednesday that Porter visited a strip club with teammate Sterling Brown.

The latter was hospitalized following an assault during that visit, with the Rockets announcing he suffered facial lacerations from assailants whom he "had no prior knowledge of or interaction with."

Brown is expected to fully recover.

Marc Stein of the New York Times noted Brown will not be fined and that the NBA's investigation into Houston's stay in Miami was closed barring new information. 

Porter missed three games following the violation and returned for Tuesday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Houston acquired the USC product in a January trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he is averaging 15.2 points, 6.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds a night this season. The 2019 first-round pick has shown flashes of his potential at times even on a Rockets squad that has the worst record in the NBA at 15-47.

The Rockets return to the court Thursday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks.

Police bodycam footage shows Houston Rockets guard Sterling Brown bloodied after he was assaulted outside a Miami strip club earlier this month.

The Rockets released a statement before last Monday's game against the Miami Heat saying Brown suffered facial lacerations after being injured by assailants. 

Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic offered a deeper report into the incident, saying Brown accidentally entered the wrong sprinter van while leaving the club and then got into an altercation with the occupants, who struck him over the head with a bottle and assaulted him. 

Teammate Kevin Porter Jr. reportedly got into the fracas as a way to protect Brown, who has a "hazy memory" of what transpired.

"Upon attempting to assist both males, and gather information as to what occurred, both males became belligerent and refused to cooperate. Several attempts were made to gather information from (from Brown), who kept insisting he did not want to provide his information, he only wanted rescue to take him to the hospital," the police incident report said.

Brown reportedly remains in a "great deal" of pain in the aftermath of the incident. 

The Rockets said Brown is expected to make a full recovery. He was already out of the lineup due to a knee injury. 

Houston Rockets point guard John Wall will likely miss the rest of the season with a right hamstring strain, the team announced Monday.

The 30-year-old already missed time this season with a knee injury, and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported in March that he would likely need surgery at some point.

Injuries are also always going to be a concern with Wall considering he played just 32 games in 2018-19 and missed the entire 2019-20 season because of heel and Achilles injuries.

When healthy, the University of Kentucky product was one of the best point guards of his generation. He was a five-time All-Star during his time with the Washington Wizards who relied on his explosiveness and quick first step to blow past defenders both in half-court sets and in transition.

While he may not be quite the same player as he was in Washington, Wall averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game in his first season with Houston.

Look for the Rockets to rely on the combination of Armoni Brooks, Kevin Porter Jr. and Avery Bradley in the backcourt while Wall is sidelined. 

John Wall may be past his prime at this point of his career thanks in large part to multiple serious injuries, but the Houston Rockets guard still believes he is among the league's best players. 

"I still think I'm an All-Star in this league," Wall said, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "I still think I'm a big-time player in this league. In the last two years, there's a lot of talent that came into this league and there's a lot of guys that are still in this league that were talented before I got injured. But I feel like when I'm healthy, I can go against the best of them."

There was a time when the Kentucky product was undoubtedly on the shortlist of the best guards in the league.

He was an All-Star in five straight seasons from 2013-14 to 2017-18 for the Washington Wizards and consistently blew past defenders in the open floor while scoring at a high clip and dishing out assists to set up teammates for success.

Washington went to the playoffs four times in a five-year span with him leading the way, but the No. 1 pick in 2010 has his time with the Wizards cut short by injuries.

Wall played just 32 games in 2018-19 and then missed the entire 2019-20 campaign with an Achilles injury. Even this season, he has dealt with knee, hip and hamstring issues while missing some time and sitting out some games in back-to-back slates.

The 30-year-old is averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for a Houston team that has the worst record in the league at 15-46.

Wall has shown flashes of his former self at times this season even as Houston loses, and he figures to be an important part of the team's rebuilding efforts considering he is under contract through the 2022-23 campaign with a player option that season.

If he can rediscover that form and stay healthier next season, the Rockets could be more competitive in the near future.

Houston Rockets CEO Tad Brown announced his resignation, effective at the end of the season, during a call with reporters Friday.

Brown served as the Rockets CEO since 2006, earning a promotion for years after joining the club. His tenure saw the team land the 2013 All-Star Game and transform the Toyota Center into the first pro sports facility in Texas to receive LEED certification. 

Brown becomes the latest high-profile departure from the Rockets organization this season, beginning with the resignation of general manager Daryl Morey in November followed by the subsequent trades of Russell Westbrook and James Harden to the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets, respectively. 

It's unclear who the Rockets could target to replace Brown or what a timeline to find the team's next CEO looks like. 

Before joining Houston, Brown helped found a streetball league and worked with NBC Sports and the NBA to grow the game. A graduate of Colgate who played four years of basketball in the Patriot League, Brown worked his way up from the sales, marketing and broadcasting department with the Rockets to overseeing the entire organization. 

The rebuilding in Houston will now be guided by someone else. 

The Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves have been eliminated from playoff contention after the San Antonio Spurs' 106-91 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Houston had made the playoffs for eight straight seasons, which was the longest current streak in the NBA. The Rockets are now in rebuilding mode though after granting superstar guard James Harden's trade request and dealing him to the Brooklyn Nets in January.

Minnesota has made the playoffs just once since the 2003-04 season, when the team last won a postseason series. Like the Rockets, they are amid a rebuild, with the team constructing around a core featuring No. 1 overall draft picks Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.

San Antonio's win meant that 10 Western Conference teams now have 29 wins or more. The NBA will hold play-in tournaments for the seventh through 10th seeds for each conference following the end of the regular season.

Minnesota and Houston, which have both lost 44 games, can only win as many as 28.

This year's postseason will begin on Tuesday, May 18 with the play-in tournament. Once the final four playoff teams are decided, the 16-team playoff will start on Saturday, May 22.

Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. reportedly broke the NBA's health and safety protocols after visiting a Miami strip club, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. 

Houston traveled to Miami after playing the Orlando Magic on Sunday evening. During that visit, Porter and teammate Sterling Brown reportedly visited a strip club. In a separate incident, Brown suffered "facial lacerations" as the result of an assault (h/t ESPN). Per a Rockets' team statement, Brown "had no prior knowledge of or interaction with the assailants."

Porter ended up playing for the Rockets on Monday evening, but he'll now reportedly sit until at least Sunday, per head coach Stephen Silas (h/t MacMahon).

The 20-year-old is sitting for his team's Wednesday game against the Utah Jazz. Houston has matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday and the Denver Nuggets on Saturday to round out the week.

Brown, who was out of the lineup due to a left knee injury, was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and needed "multiple heavy stitching jobs for his facial injuries and underwent several tests," per Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

"If he hadn’t been as physically strong and tough, he might not have made it out of the situation (Sunday) night," a source told Charania and Iko. "He could have died."

Porter tried to break up the altercation and protect his teammate, per Charania and Iko.

Porter, who is averaging 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds, should be eligible to return on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Athletic discussed the league protocols that are preventing him from coming back immediately.

"The league’s protocols, made as a measure to keep the league’s players safe in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, prohibit players from going to bars, lounges or clubs. In many ways, situations such as this one being made public raise awareness to violations of those protocols—clearing the way for the league to determine whether its rules were broken."

The NBA also told Charania and Iko that it is investigating the situation and hopes Brown makes a "full recovery."

The assault on Houston Rockets guard Sterling Brown reportedly was much worse than the team indicated Monday, according to Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Brown was reportedly assaulted by three or more men during an altercation outside of a Miami strip club in the early hours of Monday morning. Sources said Brown attempted to enter the wrong van and exchanged words with at least three people who were responsible for the van. The situation then "escalated into all of those individuals jumping Brown, physically beating him up, hitting him in the head with a bottle and leaving blood everywhere" before he was taken to a hospital.

"If he hadn't been as physically strong and tough, he might not have made it out of the situation [Sunday] night," one source said. "He could have died."

Players and coaches reportedly feared he was in critical condition while doctors were concerned about potential blood clotting overnight because of his head injuries. He reportedly received stitches and underwent tests before eventually being cleared to leave the hospital and return to Houston.

"His face is jacked up," a source said.

Houston released a statement about the assault that provided little information besides noting Brown "suffered facial lacerations but will make a full recovery."

Per Charania and Iko, Rockets teammate Kevin Porter Jr. also was "roughed up a bit by the individuals" after stepping in to protect Brown and help remove him from the situation. Porter was well enough to play in Monday night's game against the Miami Heat.

An NBA spokesperson told Iko and Charania that the league is investigating the situation; in addition to looking into the altercation, the players' trip to the strip club likely violated the league's health and safety protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brown's management at Priority Sports also provided a statement: "Our number one concern is Sterling's health. We will rely on law enforcement to help get to the bottom of this and the facts about what went down."

A police report stated officers spoke to two men—one of them was Brown and the other was unidentified—but they "refused to cooperate," and Brown only said he wanted to be taken to the hospital.

Brown previously agreed to a $750,000 civil settlement with the Milwaukee police department after a complaint of excessive force that took place in January 2018 while he was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Houston Rockets released a statement saying swingman Sterling Brown was the victim of an assault Sunday and suffered facial injuries.

"He had no prior knowledge of or interaction with the assailants," the team said. "He suffered facial lacerations but will make a full recovery. Sterling is not playing tonight because of his prior knee injury."

The Athletic's Shams Charania and Kelly Iko provided further details about the incident:

"Brown was jumped outside of a club in Miami late Sunday night, hit in the head with a bottle and needed medical attention into Monday, sources tell The Athletic. Multiple sources with knowledge of the incident said it was a serious altercation. Brown was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital early Monday, according to multiple sources, and was discharged from the emergency room the same day."

Charania also shared a statement from the NBA: "We are in the process of gathering information and hopeful that Sterling makes a full recovery."

Head coach Stephen Silas commented on the situation during a call with reporters and said Sterling was with the team on its current two-game road trip at the Orlando Magic on Sunday and the Miami Heat on Monday:

Brown has made 51 appearances for the team this season and is averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game.

The 26-year-old has missed Houston's past four contests with left knee soreness.

Brown is in his fourth season in the league after having been selected in the second round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Shortly after the draft, Brown was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and spent his first three seasons in Milwaukee.

In November, Brown reached a $750,000 settlement with the Milwaukee Police Department regarding his January 2018 arrest. He had filed suit in June 2018, saying officers used excessive force when they subdued him with a stun gun.

Under the terms of the settlement, Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer admitted on behalf of the city that officers had violated Brown's constitutional rights during the course of the arrest.