Terrence Jones Returns from Lung Injury, Stuffs Carl Landry 3 Times in 4 Seconds
With a heavy heart and a battered lung, Terrence Jones played quietly dominant basketball on Wednesday night.
After suffering a partially collapsed lung March 19 and sitting out the past six games, Terrence Jones returned to the court for Wednesday night’s tilt against the Sacramento Kings and came within striking distance of a triple-double.
And he did it the hard way.
The Houston Rockets forward had 16 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks in his April debut.
Three of said rejections were inflicted in a single possession, with Jones swatting the light from Carl Landry’s eyes one block at a time in the second quarter.
The Kings forward gathered a pass in the lane and turned to the hoop to find a wall of arms. Jones was everywhere, suffocating the 31-year-old and stuffing him thrice in the span of four seconds.
Unsurprisingly, the exchange led to chirping, and the two received technicals for jawing.
Jones also put DeMarcus Cousins in the dryer with a nifty spin move earlier in the game.
Wednesday night was more than a triumphant return for Jones, who performed in the shadow of James Harden’s 51-point explosion and the private pain of a loss in the family.
Jones' uncle had passed away earlier in the day, and he took to Twitter after Houston’s 115-111 victory over Sacramento to dedicate the win to his late loved one.
As for the healing process, Jones continues to work his way back to full strength. After the game, he told reporters he still isn’t allowed to fly with the team and will drive to Thursday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
To review, a man whose lung collapsed in mid-March returned to the court April 1, played 32 minutes and blocked seven shots on the day of his uncle’s death. And he’ll be driving himself to tonight’s game to avoid any pressure-related complications.
That’s how Terrence Jones handles adversity. We should all be taking notes.
