Jalen Green shakes off injury-filled year, peaking at the right time for playoff-bound Suns
PHOENIX (AP) — Jalen Green was several feet behind the 3-point line as the shot clock wound down and didn't have many options, so the Phoenix guard simply squared up and let if fly . In most cases, the third-quarter heave wouldn't have been a high-percentage shot. On Friday night, pretty much everyone knew it was going in.
“It felt good all night,” Green said. The 24-year-old Green scored 36 points to lead Phoenix to a 111-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA's play-in tournament. The Suns earned the No.
8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and they'll face the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a road game Sunday in Game 1 of the first round. Green shot 14 of 20 from the field against the Warriors, including 8 of 14 from 3-point range. The eight 3-pointers tied his career high.
“I thought he was incredibly efficient offensively,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “It's really hard to stay in front of him. ” It was a big moment for Green, who endured plenty of frustration during an injury-filled year that limited him to just 32 games in the regular season.
Green and Dillon Brooks came to the Suns from the Rockets as part of the package that sent 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant to Houston . Green missed the first half of the season with a hamstring injury and then finally returned, sometimes struggling to adjust to his new role playing with Booker and Brooks. He averaged just 17.