The Houston Rockets started their game on Saturday without Christian Wood. They finished the game without Wood and Kevin Porter Jr, with the latter leaving the arena at halftime.

During a heated halftime discussion between Porter and assistant coach John Lucas, Porter became angry. Lucas had revisited an issue that upset Porter during the first half of the Rockets loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Porter reportedly threw an object before getting into his car and leaving the arena at halftime. The Rockets said that Porter was dealing with a thigh bruise that kept him from playing after the break.

Wood was benched to start the game due to breaking a team rule. Subsequent reporting was that Wood missed a mandatory pregame COVID test. Wood played eight minutes in the first half and did not play in the second half. Head coach Stephen Silas called that a "coach's decision". There are reports that Wood refused to play in the second half.