Jalen Green announced himself onto the NBA Playoffs stage in the Houston Rockets’ Game 2 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
The Rockets lost Game 1 95-85, and many thought the remainder of the series would follow suit, with the Warriors then comfortably advancing to the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
That wasn’t to be, as Ime Udoka’s team responded greatly in Game 2, spearheaded by 23-year-old shooting guard Jalen Green.
Green has since explained what he found so difficult about his playoff debut, which he corrected in Game 2.
Green was the Rockets’ leading scorer (21.0 points per game) in the regular season as they won 52 games and finished second in the Western Conference.
Scoring is the biggest weakness on Houston’s roster, so they need him to step up in the playoffs to have any chance of going deep.
Unfortunately, the opposite happened in Game 1, as Green mustered up just seven points in 31 minutes, and the Warriors won by 10.
Green said about his disappointing playoff debut: “The first game… the lights were bright, the crowd was here [and] the court looked huge, so I couldn’t really get a chance to settle in.
“My legs were a little shaky, but that’s part of it. I went through it, and I feel like I did a good job of answering back.”
Green can be excused for his dismal Game 1 display after bouncing back with an incredible 38 points in the Rockets’ Game 2 victory.
Green went 13-25 (52%) from the field and made eight three-pointers as he outduelled Stephen Curry at the Toyota Center.
The Rockets will be relieved more than anything to get a playoff victory on the board, but they must not get carried away before Game 3.
Especially with Jimmy Butler’s latest injury, Houston has an excellent chance to win one of the two upcoming games in San Francisco and regain home-court advantage.
