A triple-double compiled by Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night won’t stand, despite the best efforts of his teammates. With less than 90 seconds remaining in the contest, Porter was a rebound away from securing his first career triple-double, and his teammates did everything they could to help him hit the mark.
A late miss from Thunder guard Theo Maledon bounced right to Rockets big man Alperen Sengun, but instead of securing the ball, Sengun tapped the ball into open space so that Porter could grab it.
The ball bounced toward Josh Christopher and Jae’Sean Tate, who also avoided securing it and instead encouraged Porter to scoop it up, which he did. The rebound gave Porter his first career triple-double — 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Overall, it was an excellent display of selflessness and comradery on the part of the Rockets players, and it was nice to see a team with the worst record in the Western Conference have something to get excited about.
Unfortunately, the rebound won’t stand on the stat sheet. After review, the NBA credited the rebound to Sengun as a controlled tip, instead of to Porter.
So, instead of getting his first career triple-double, Porter officially finished the game against Oklahoma City with 11 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. While mildly disappointing, it seems like it will only be a matter of time until Porter secures a legitimate triple-double. On the season, he’s averaging 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per performance for Houston.
Credit: CBS Sport
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