After missing one game with a left thigh contusion, Kevin Porter Jr. was back in Houston’s starting lineup at point guard for Saturday’s game between the host Rockets and visiting Chicago Bulls.
Porter’s left leg was already a bit compromised after missing seven weeks with a left foot contusion, which is likely to cause him at least some pain for the rest of the 2022-23 NBA season. Thus, it remains to be seen how Porter navigates another injury to the same leg.
Buy Rockets TicketsRegardless, head coach Stephen Silas — who announced Porter’s return in his pregame media availability — is clearly happy to have his point guard back. Besides leading the Rockets in assists (5.7) on a per-game basis and ranking second in scoring (18.5 points), Houston has also clearly been a better team with Porter on the floor.
On the season, Houston is 3-19 (.136) without Porter, which equates to a win pace of only 11 games over a full 82-game campaign. With Porter, they entered Saturday at a much more respectable 12-32 (.273) clip, which is good for a win pace of more than 22 games.
After Porter’s March 1 return from the left foot contusion, the Rockets went 2-2 over their next four games before this latest injury.
#Rockets coach Stephen Silas announced that Kevin Porter Jr. will return tonight against the Bulls.
Porter missed Houston’s previous due to a thigh contusion. https://t.co/EUCLu4rli5
— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) March 11, 2023
