In a battle of Rockets’ past versus future, second-year guard Jalen Green had a team-high 27 points and 7 assists as Houston outlasted former star James Harden and visiting Philadelphia, 132-123 (box score). Despite going 0-of-7 on 3-pointers, Green shot a respectable 45% from the field thanks to a 9-of-13 showing (69.2%) from inside the arc, and he also drew 10 free-throw attempts, making nine.
Perennial All-Star center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid led the Sixers with 39 points on 12-of-21 shooting (57.1%), but he fouled out at the end of Monday’s first overtime on a Kevin Porter Jr. drive. From that point, Houston outscored Philadelphia (12-12) by 10 points and won the game in a second overtime with relative ease.
