Jalen Green became the first teenager with a 30 point game in Rockets history and also tied the record for most 3s in a game by a teenager.
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Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, who went No. 2 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, is one of the favorites to win Rookie of the Year this season because he has the potential to be a terrific scorer. On Sunday night, in just his third game in the league, he put his skills on full display.
Though the Rockets lost to the Boston Celtics, 107-97, it was no fault of Green’s. He went for 30 points on 11 of 18 from the field, and added four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in what was by far the best game of his young career. Green was most impressive from the outside, as he knocked down eight 3-pointers to write his name in the record books.
He became the first teenager with a 30 point game in Rockets history and also set the franchise record for 3-pointers in a game by a rookie. In addition, he tied Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards for the most 3-pointers in a game by a teenager in NBA history.
Green wasn’t just padding his stats in a blowout either. He made a number of impressive shots off the dribble, including a buzzer beater to end the first quarter. He also showed off his athleticism with some incredible drives to the rim. His high-flying dunk in the fourth quarter got most of the attention, and with good reason, but this daring drive might have been his best play of the night. His balance and body control, first with the dribble and then as he’s avoiding defenders in mid-air, is just remarkable.
? @HoustonRockets rookie-record ?
Jalen Green drops 30 PTS and sets the franchise rookie-record with 8 3PM! pic.twitter.com/63vV1YmGQL
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2021
Although Green isn’t going to shoot 8 of 10 from 3-point range every night, this game was a preview of what he’s going to be doing to opponents on a regular basis. He’s extremely difficult to stay in front of on the perimeter, and if he’s having a hot shooting night from behind the arc there’s very little you can do to slow him down.
It’s going to be extremely fun to watch Green develop as the season goes along. This won’t be the last time that he goes for at least 30 points.
Kyrie Irving has not yet played for the Brooklyn Nets this season because of the vaccine mandate in New York City. It prevents unvaccinated players from participating in home games in New York. Irving technically could have played in Brooklyn’s first two games of the season, but the Nets chose not to play Irving at all rather than allow him to participate only in road games. On Sunday, though, the Nets returned home to Brooklyn to play their first home game of the season, and that led to significant protesting outside of their home arena, the Barclays Center.
A number of protesters against the vaccine mandate gathered at the arena in downtown Brooklyn on Sunday. They chanted “let Kyrie play” while holding up signs that read “Stand with Kyrie” ahead of Brooklyn’s Sunday matinee matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.
The protests got scary as they progressed. At one point, protesters broke through the barricades set up by security, who had to rush to protect the doors. One protester even picked up and threw a barricade at a security officer:
At one point, security had to even lock down the building and prevent fans from entering the building.
Security personnel eventually got the protests under control and resumed allowing fans with tickets to enter the building. However, at tip off, there were still a number of empty seats due in part to delays caused by the protest.
