MINNEAPOLIS – Jalen Green struggled with his shots in his NBA debut and his team Houston Rockets bowed to Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-106, on Wednesday night (Thursday in the Philippines) at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Rookie Draft, played for 32 minutes and finished with nine points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field, to go with four rebounds, four assists and a steal. He was also -37 in the entire game.
The Filipino-American guard failed to make a basket until the three-minute mark of the first quarter when he attacked the Rockets’ defense for a reverse layup.
The Rockets, however, did not have answers to the Timberwolves’ rampage as Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell took turns pounding their opposition to start the season on a winning note.
Towns finished the match with double-double 30 points and 10 rebounds., Edwards added 29 markers while Russell drilled four triples to end up with 22 points for the Timberwolves.
Christian Wood spearheaded the Rockets with 16 points. Eric Gordon added 15 markers while Daniel Theis, Kevin Porter Jr. and rookie Alphen Sengun had 11 points apiece.
Meanwhile, Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson picked up from where he left off last season as Utah Jazz opened the 2021-2022 season with a 107-86 triumph over Oklahoma City Thunder.
Clarkson, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, tallied 18 points for the Jazz. Bojan Bogdanovic led the team with 22 markers, while Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell each had 16 points.
Harrison Barnes, on the other hand, drilled career-high 36 points, including eight three-point baskets, as Sacramento Kings pulled off a 124-121 upset over Portland Trail Blazers.
Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić tallied double-double 27 points and 13 rebounds as Denver Nuggets kicked off their campaign with a 110-98 win over Phoenix Suns.
BOX SCORE:
MINNESOTA 124 — Towns 30, Edwards 29, Russell 22, Beasley 9, Okogie 6, Prince 5, Reid 5, McDaniels 4, McLaughlin 3, Wright 3, Layman 2, Vanderbilt 2, Nowell 2, Bolmaro 2.
HOUSTON 106 — Wood 16, Gordon 15, Theis 11, Porter 11, Sengun 11, Green 9, Nwaba 7, Martin 7, Brooks 6, Christopher 5, Garuba 4, Tate 2, Augustin 2./PN
