Top takeaways from Rockets’ Game 2 win as Jalen Green torches Warriors
ROCKETS WIN!
24 April
ROCKETS WIN!
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
Christian Walker hit a game-winning, two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift the Houston Astros to a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
WALK(ER) - OFF.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/n6sZvAux3Y
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 25, 2025
The game was tied at 3 when Jose Altuve singled with no outs in the ninth. Walker, who had three hits, then sent a fastball from Casey Legumina (4-2) into the seats in left field to give the Astros the walkoff victory and 3-1 series win over the AL West leaders.
Walker's big game came after the struggling first baseman had just three hits combined in his previous seven games.
Bryan King (3-0) struck out Randy Arozarena to end Seattle’s ninth and manager Dan Wilson was ejected for the first time in his career for arguing with home plate umpire Laz Diaz after the call.
Seattle had runners on first and third with one out in the eighth when Ben Williamson hit a grounder to second baseman Mauricio Dubón. He threw home in time to get J.P. Crawford out at the plate before Leo Rivas grounded out for the third out.
The Astros loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Isaac Paredes grounded out to leave everyone stranded. That came after they loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but came away empty after Seattle turned a double play.
Jake Meyers was on first with two outs in the sixth when Cam Smith laced an RBI double down the right field line to tie it at 3.
Seattle starter Luis Castillo allowed nine hits and three runs with six strikeouts in six innings. Castillo threw 114 pitches Sunday to tie Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene for most pitches thrown in a game this season.
Houston’s Colton Gordon allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings in his third major league start.
Julio Rodríguez had three hits and Mitch Garver drove in two runs for the Mariners.
Rodríguez and Arozarena hit consecutive singles with two outs in the first before Garver made it 2-0 on his double to center.
There were two outs in the third with Rodríguez on third when Donovan Solano singled on a grounder to left field to extend the lead to 3-0.
Houston cut it to 3-1 on an RBI single by Walker with one out in the bottom of the third. A sacrifice fly by Caratini that Leody Taveras jumped to catch on the warning track scored Altuve to make it 3-2.
Walker's walkoff home run gave him three RBIs, tying a season high.
The teams combined to go 4 for 22 with runners in scoring position.
Both teams are off Monday before Houston opens a series with the Athletics and Seattle gets a visit from Washington on Tuesday night.