Prized rookie Jalen Green built on his recent momentum with a career-high 32 points on Wednesday, leading his Houston Rockets to a thrilling 139-130 (box score) win over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Green scored 10 of those points in a decisive and clutch overtime period, and he was very efficient in his home Toyota Center gym by making 13-of-21 shots (61.9%) and 4-of-7 on 3-pointers (57.1%).
Meanwhile, fellow first-round rookie Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 14 rebounds, which were both career-highs. Sengun started for the Rockets in place of veteran Christian Wood, who missed his second straight game with an illness, and played a career-high 40 minutes.
Rookie guard Josh Christopher, who was the fourth of Houston’s four first-round picks in 2021, excelled off the bench with 21 points and 6 rebounds in 23 minutes. As with Green, Christopher was extremely efficient, making 8-of-13 shots (61.5%) and 3-of-5 on 3-pointers (60.0%).
