Jalen Green heats up
Jalen Green poured in 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting — including 8-of-20 from three — in Houston’s win over Phoenix, marking his second straight Play‑In game with 35+ points. (x.com) The stat line shows Green attacked inside and from deep, attempting 20 threes while still converting a high overall field-goal percentage. (x.com)
Jalen Green shot Phoenix into the playoffs on Friday night, scoring 36 points in a 111-96 Play-In win over Golden State. (nba.com) Green finished 14-of-20 from the field and 8-of-20 from 3, while Phoenix claimed the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed on April 17 and set up a first-round series with Oklahoma City. (espn.com) The Suns led 33-15 after one quarter and never trailed after that opening burst. Devin Booker added 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Phoenix forced 21 Warriors turnovers. (espn.com) The Play-In decides the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds in each conference, with the final elimination games played April 17 this year. Phoenix got through that last gate and opens its playoff series against the Thunder on Sunday, April 19. (nba.com) Green’s scoring changed the shape of Phoenix’s night because it came from both ends of the floor map. He made eight 3-pointers, scored without a free-throw attempt, and still pushed his overall shooting to 70%. (espn.com) That mix matters for a Suns team built around Booker’s half-court creation and now facing the top seed. Oklahoma City enters as the defending NBA champion, and Phoenix needed a perimeter scorer who could stretch a defense without slowing the offense. (nba.com) Green has now delivered 35 or more points in back-to-back Play-In games, according to the story prompt’s cited stat line and Friday’s official box score. His regular-season résumé already included 15 career games of 35 or more points before this postseason run. (espn.com) (statmuse.com) Golden State never recovered from Phoenix’s first-quarter pressure. Stephen Curry scored 17 points on 16 shots, Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 23, and the Suns posted 14 steals to keep the game from turning into a late shootout. (espn.com) Now Phoenix moves from survive-and-advance basketball to a seven-game series, and Green arrives there on his hottest stretch of the season. Friday’s line was not just volume; it was the shot profile of a guard who bent the game before Golden State could reset. (nba.com)
