When fans and media members reflect on the Houston Rockets 139-130 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at Toyota Center, they will remember the big shots taken by rising star Jalen Green at the end of regulation and at the start of the overtime period.
Many will also bring up the steadiness and resiliency of rookie center Alperen Sengun, who made his seventh career start and was very efficient versus LeBron James. Sengun scored a career-high 21 points and hit a big 3-pointer late in overtime to help Houston seal the upset.
But for average fans who may have only tuned in late, they may have missed important production by rookie guard Josh Christopher, who played a key role in keeping the Rockets within striking distance.
Houston’s “unsung hero,” if you will, kept the Rockets in the game in the second quarter by scoring 12 points and pulling down 5 rebounds. In all, he scored 21 points while shooting 71% from the field, representing Christopher’s most points in a game since a loss at San Antonio in early February — where he put up a career-high 23 points.
After scoring just 18 points combined in four games to start March, Christopher has picked up the pace in his last two outings by averaging 18.5 points per game. The scoring increase can be attributed to the fact that his role as a primary ball-handler for the second unit has decreased with the return of veteran point guard Dennis Schröder.
The Rockets will evaluate Christopher’s best role over the final 16 games to see how they can better utilize his skill set next season.
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