50 wins!

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 If the technical is not rescinded, it would be Brooks’ 16th of the season, and he would be suspended for the Rockets’ game Friday night against Oklahoma City.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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The Astros beat the Blue Jays, 3-1. Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images.

Christian Walker homered in a three-run second, Ryan Gusto pitched well into the sixth and the Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Wednesday night to sweep the three-game series.

Walker led off the second with a home run to left off Bowden Francis (2-3), Yainer Diaz tripled and scored on Zach Dezenzo's RBI single and Yordan Alvarez capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly.

Gusto (3-1) allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Gusto has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his three starts this season.

Bryan King pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Bryan Abreu threw a scoreless eighth.

George Springer walked, and Ernie Clement doubled with one out in the ninth, but Josh Hader struck out Alejandro Kirk and induced a flyout by Myles Straw for his seventh save.

Houston has won five of its last six.

Springer hit an RBI double in the fourth for the Blue Jays. They have lost five straight games.

Francis surrendered three runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He has allowed three runs or fewer in four of his five starts.

Key moment

Hader striking out Kirk and getting Straw to flyout to center to end it.

Key stat

The Astros swept the Blue Jays for the first time since they swept a four-game series in Houston on May 14-17, 2015.

Final Thoughts

Julia Morales caught up with Walker after the game.

Up next

Houston starts a three-game series Friday at Kansas City, with RHP Hayden Wesneski (1-1, 3.91 ERA) starting the opener. Toronto RHP JosĂŠ BerrĂ­os (1-1, 5.02) starts Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at the Yankees.

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