Failure to Launch: Inside the Rockets’ 13-game losing streak

Photo by Troy Fields/NBAE via Getty ImagesJohn Wall wasn’t even scheduled to play. All season long, the Houston Rockets have been cautious with Wall while he worked his way back from a two-year hiatus. The plan was simple: No back-to-back games. And he only exceeded beyond 35 minutes in seven out of his 25 games played thus far.

But preparations for Monday’s contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers were anything but simple.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Houston sustained their second-worst loss in franchise history with a 49-point defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies. After scoring only 14 points on the night, Wall deemed the team and his performance “a**.” But the beauty of the NBA doesn’t give a…