Wall, Rockets cruise by Grizzlies as Wood injury looms large

Photo courtesy of Brandon Dill

Houston's win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night might have proven to be the definition of a Pyrrhic victory.

The Rockets surged ahead early to coast to a 115-103 victory against their division rivals, getting themselves back in the win column after an ugly loss the night prior to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On paper, there wasn't much to say about this game. After a competitive first quarter that saw the game tied at 27, Houston pushed ahead to take a 13 point lead into the halftime break. The Rockets would keep shooting well in the second half, while also limiting young Grizzlies' star Ja Morant, to get back to their winning ways.

The attention from fans, however, was on franchise centerpiece Christian Wood, who went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter. Wood had suffered through a similar injury earlier in January, but that paled in comparison to the severity of the injury Wood received on Thursday evening.

Wood was seen noticeably writhing in pain after he was fouled while attempting a layup in transition. He attempted to shoot resulting free throws, but his teammates urged him to the sideline and into the locker room. Wood would need to be escorted into a wheelchair and wheeled off of the court.

It's an unfortunate development for Wood, who had been blossoming into a star since being acquired by the Rockets this offseason. Wood has averaged 22 points and 10.2 rebounds so far this season, while shooting more than 55% from the floor and 42% from three. He ranked eighth in All-Star voting this past week amongst frontcourt players in the Western Conference.

"As good as he's been playing, and really [during] a breakout season, doing everything we need him to do... it sucks," Coach Stephen Silas said after the game.

Wood would finish the game with 17 points and seven rebounds in only 20 minutes. Despite losing him early on, the team wouldn't get discouraged and would maintain their lead throughout, in large part due to John Wall's leadership.

“I feel like I’m the franchise guy now that James has left," Wall said postgame. "You very rarely get the opportunity to be a franchise [guy] in two different cities and two different teams... I feel like that’s my job, to be the leader of this team.”

The numbers certainly back that notion up. The Rockets are a perfect 7-0 in games Wall has played in without James Harden. Individually, Wall is averaging 18.2 points per game along with 5.9 assists per game.

He was sensational once again on Thursday as well -- 22 points and eight assists, while leading the offense to another efficient outing.

The obvious attention will be on Christian Wood's status, but for now, the Rockets can celebrate being winners of seven of their last eight games, while currently being only a game out of the Western Conference's fourth seed.

Houston's next game will come against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM CT.