Rookie guard Jalen Green scored a career-high 33 points on Friday versus Sacramento, representing his third straight game to score 30 or more points and the fifth of his young NBA career. By comparison, no other rookie from the 2021 draft class has done it more than twice.
However, despite Green’s outburst — including 6-of-14 on 3-pointers (42.9%) and 9-of-9 on free throws — it still wasn’t enough to win in a 122-117 home loss (box score) versus Sacramento. The Kings (28-49) were led by veteran forward Harrison Barnes, who scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting (62.5%) and 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%).
For the Rockets (20-58), the game was arguably more important for 2022 NBA draft odds. With the loss, which was briefly disrupted in the third quarter by a bizarre streaking incident, Houston now has at least two games of separation relative to all teams except Orlando (20-58).
Beyond Green, Houston’s other statistical standouts included Kevin Porter Jr. (27 points, 11 assists, 4 steals); Garrison Mathews (22 points, 6-of-10 on 3-pointers); and rookie Usman Garuba, who had 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots. The Rockets were +12 in Garuba’s career-high 30 minutes, and -17 in the 18 minutes that he did not play.
As expected, veterans Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, and Dennis Schroder remained sidelined by the Rockets to finish the 2021-22 season, while rookie Alperen Sengun (left leg bruise) missed a second straight game.
Scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction.