Starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. played one half for Houston in Friday’s home game versus Orlando before re-aggravating his nagging left thigh contusion, which he also did on Wednesday in Oklahoma City. The timing is certainly not ideal for the surging Rockets (6-16), who have now won five consecutive games (box score).
The third-year player known best as “KPJ” has largely played through the injury since first suffering it on Nov. 7 at Golden State, but the latest re-aggravations by the 21-year-old may prompt the rebuilding Rockets to be more cautious with a key young building block. Before leaving at halftime, Porter had 6 assists in 18 first-half minutes, but he shot just 2-of-8 from the field (25.0%) and was clearly limping late in the second quarter.
“It has to get right,” head coach Stephen Silas said postgame of Porter’s status. He’s a competitor and he wants to be a part of what we have going on. … He irritates it just about every game, it seems.”
The news was more positive for veteran backup DJ Augustin, who added 8 points (2-of-2 on 3-pointers) and 3 assists in 12 minutes.
Augustin had missed two games while in health and safety protocols, which he noted at Friday’s shootaround was due to an inconclusive test result. The 14-year veteran later registered two negative results — which, as a fully vaccinated player, is all he needed to return. The 34-year-old said his daughter had tested positive for COVID-19, but she is currently isolated at home and experiencing only mild symptoms.
Porter entered Friday averaging 13.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.6 rebounds as Houston’s starter at point guard, while Augustin had tallied 3.7 points (37.1% on 3-pointers) and 1.9 assists in 12.4 minutes as a reserve.
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