Houston Texans stay aggressive in reshaping offensive front with latest trade
TRADE ALERT
13 March
TRADE ALERT
The Minnesota Vikings traded guard Ed Ingram to the Houston Texans on Thursday for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick, after the fourth-year player was supplanted in the starting lineup during the 2024 season.
Ingram started 41 games at right guard over three years for the Vikings, who drafted him out of LSU in the second round of a 2022 draft that has been a significant letdown for the team at several positions. Ingram was replaced by Dalton Risner midway through last season after continually struggling in pass protection. The deal will trim about $3.4 million off Minnesota's salary cap charges for 2025.
The Vikings reached agreements this week with two former Indianapolis Colts, center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries, to upgrade the interior of their line.
The Texans have been busy up front, too, sending star left tackle Laremy Tunsil in a trade to Washington and dealing guard Kenyon Green to Philadelphia. They agreed to a one-year deal with free agent guard Laken Tomlinson.
Jalen Green made eight 3-pointers and scored 38 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 109-94 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in a testy matchup to even the first-round Western Conference series at one game apiece.
30 PTS through 3 quarters 🔥@JalenGreen https://t.co/Qj2MAu16Yz
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 24, 2025
The seventh-seeded Warriors never led and played short-handed for most of the night after Jimmy Butler left with a pelvis contusion after a hard fall on a foul late in the first quarter.
Green, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, rebounded from a flop in his playoff debut, when he scored just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting, with a dominant Game 2.
His eight 3-pointers were two more than the No. 2-seeded Rockets made on 6-of-29 shooting in a 95-85 Game 1 loss.
𝙏𝙐𝙁𝙁 step 🔙 pic.twitter.com/xGcq0fgwcX
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 24, 2025
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Rockets. Tari Eason had 14 points off the bench.
𝙥𝙤𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🍿@alperennsengun pic.twitter.com/ll5Pge7R3q
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 24, 2025
Game 2 is Saturday night at Golden State.
Stephen Curry had 20 points and nine assists for the Warriors and become the 11th player in NBA history to reach 4,000 career playoff points with 4,017.
Houston led by 20 with about 10 minutes left before the Warriors used a 9-0 run, with two 3s from Quinten Post, run to get within 11. Jalen Green was called for a flagrant foul on Draymond Green at the end of that run after he flailed an arm into his face.
The Rockets then used an 8-0 spurt, highlighted by a step-back 3 from Green, to extend the lead to 99-80 with 5 ½ minutes remaining. Draymond Green received a technical foul in that stretch for arguing with officials and Eason received one for throwing a towel in an “unsportsmanlike manner.”
The loss of Butler, acquired from Miami in a February trade, was a huge blow to the Warriors after he had 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the series opener. On top of Butler’s injury, the Warriors were also hampered by Brandin Podziemski’s stomach ailment.
He missed most of the first half dealing with the problem and was scoreless in 14 minutes after scoring 14 points in Game 1.
Final Thoughts
Vanessa Richardson was joined by Sengun after the big win!
“I was telling him, we’ve earned this.”
Tonight, in their fourth season, Alperen Sengun & Jalen Green win their first playoff game. @SpaceCityHN | @HoustonRockets #Liftoff pic.twitter.com/56OctjGAgU
— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) April 24, 2025