When the Houston Rockets took on the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night at Toyota Center, most eyes were on the matchup between second-year forward Anthony Edwards, who Minnesota picked at No. 1 overall in the 2020 NBA draft, and rookie guard Jalen Green — who Houston chose at No. 2 overall in the 2021 first round.
The battle didn’t disappoint. Edwards scored a game-high 33 points in leading Minnesota (45-34) to a narrow win, while Green pushed his streak of consecutive 30+ point games to four for the Rockets (20-59). Green is now just the third NBA rookie in the last 40 years to post that streak, joining Michael Jordan from 1985 and Allen Iverson in 1997. Both are now enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Edwards, 21, struggled early in his rookie season. In January 2021, he went through a stretch of five games with only one double-digit scoring result. He had a similar four-game stretch the next month before he finally put it all together — scoring in double figures 40 straight games to finish the season, including a career-high 42 points twice. Edwards was named Rookie of the Month for three consecutive months and made the NBA’s 2020-21 All-Rookie First Team.
Similarly, Green struggled at times this season, even having a three-game stretch where he scored a combined 17 points. But he has found his groove since the All-Star break, and in particular during his historic streak over the past week. In March, Green became the first rookie in NBA history to make 50 3-pointers in one calendar month.
Chris Finch, who coaches Edwards with the Timberwolves, said Sunday that he recognizes the growth shown by Green this season:
It is a tough league, and you have to figure out who you are in the league. You’ve gotta learn the league. There are a lot of things you are trying to take on board.
I am a big proponent of shot selection. That really helps guys define who they are and trying to play within those boundaries.
He (Green) is fun to watch. He is exciting. You can see the talent, and he has put together some games that should give him a great amount of confidence going into the offseason.
Houston now heads out on the road for their final road trip of the 2021-22 season, with visits to Brooklyn on Tuesday and Toronto on Friday. Both the teams are fighting for playoff positioning, which should present a new challenge for Green and the Rockets as the season winds down.
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“You can see the talent and he has put together some games that should give him a great amount of confidence going into the off-season,” said Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch about Rockets Jalen Green. #Rockets #LightTheFuse #Sarge pic.twitter.com/eCCCje3lWG
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) April 4, 2022
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