Rockets Jalen Green Shows 'Signs Of What He Could Be' In Comeback Win vs. Suns

After leading the Houston Rockets to a comeback victory over the Suns, coach Stephen Silas says Jalen Green's performance was a sign of what the sophomore guard could become.

Before Friday night's contest against the Phoenix Suns, coach Stephen Silas told reporters that the Houston Rockets are hard to play against. And Inside the Footprint Center, Silas' words came to fruition.

"Coming off the two games in Denver where we didn't play well, this means a lot to us," Silas said. "It helps us know that we are moving in the right direction."

The Rockets erased a 16-point deficit en route to a 122-121 victory against the Suns. Jalen Green led the Rockets' comeback with a team-best 30 points on 8-24 shooting and drilled a career-best 12 out of his 16 attempts from the free-throw line.

It wasn't an efficient performance for Green. He missed his first nine attempts and had nine points while shooting 2-of-12 from the field by halftime. But the night began to turn for Green in the third quarter, where he scored 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Silas was proud of Green's aggressiveness on the offensive end but was more impressed by his defensive production. He said Green's third quarter eruption was a sign of growth. But more importantly, an indication of what the second-year guard could be in the future.

"One thing about my young guys, they have a short memory and will keep going," Silas said. "He was missing shots early, and he was struggling. And then, he just kept going. I was proud that he not only got going offensively but taking on the challenge to defend [Devin] Booker."

Green's defense helped the Rockets hold Devin Booker to eight fourth-quarter points on 37.5 percent shooting. Booker had recorded 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting through the first three quarters. He finished with 41 points.

"Sometimes, you can get down on yourself when you are struggling, but he didn't. What he did defending Booker, it means a lot for him to take that challenge. We need his aggressiveness."

After his 15-point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 12, Green has averaged 9.5 points during the third quarter on 53.6/42.9/88.5 shooting splits. 

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