Jalen Green powers Houston Rockets to landmark 50th victory

Rockets Jalen Green
The Rockets are officially back in the playoffs! Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Jalen Green scored 22 points, Dillon Brooks added 21 and the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 143-105 on Wednesday night for their 50th win of the season.

Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds off the bench, Tari Eason had 15 points and nine rebounds and Alperen Sengun had 15 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for Houston, which shot 54% and was 19 of 45 on 3-pointers.

Isaiah Collier had 22 points and 10 assists, Collin Sexton finished with 18 points and Keyonte George had 14 points, for the Jazz, who lost their seventh straight game. Walker Kessler added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Utah shot 43% and were 10 of 40 on 3-pointers.

Brooks was issued a technical foul with seven minutes left in the first quarter after appearing to kick Sexton in the groin on a loose ball. If the technical is not rescinded, it would be Brooks’ 16th of the season, and he would be suspended for the Rockets’ game Friday night against Oklahoma City.

Houston's Fred VanVleet missed the game with soreness in his knee and right ankle.

Takeaways

Jazz: Utah dropped to 1-17 since the end of February.

Rockets: Houston, which last won 50 games in the 2018-19 season, clinched a top six seed in the Western Conference.

Key moment

Trailing 20-16, Green made a layup with four minutes left in the first quarter to begin a 17-6 Houston run to end the quarter. The Rockets built a 70-46 lead at halftime.

Key stat

Houston outrebounded Utah 63-39 and had a 23-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Up next

Utah travels to Indiana to face the Pacers on Friday night, while Houston hosts the Thunder that same night.


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Luis Garcia is dealing with elbow inflammation. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

With two series in the books, the Astros season hasn't gotten off to the start that they hoped. After a series win over the Mets, Houston was swept at home by the Giants, dropping their record to 2-4.

However, the club's early struggles fall squarely on the anemic offense, not the starting pitching. Which should make this disappointing injury update easier to handle.

The Astros announced on Thursday that Luis Garcia is dealing with inflammation in his elbow, and he will be shut down from throwing for four weeks.

It's unknown exactly how many setbacks Garcia has sustained in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but that number has to be at least two, and likely more. There were reports last year that he might be able to return before season's end, but that never materialized.

And of course we have the hiccup this spring that has him unable to throw for the next month. Garcia had surgery in May 2023, so we're almost two years out from the surgery, which typically requires a 12-18 month recovery.

This development makes the return of Lance McCullers Jr even more imperative. On the bright side, McCullers seems to be doing well in his recovery, as he's scheduled for his second rehab start this Saturday at Double-A Corpus Christi.

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