Injuries prevented Jalen Green from contributing to the Suns for most of the season, but he made up for it with 36 points and eight three-pointers in Friday’s play-in victory over Golden State, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. It was a satisfying performance for Green, who was limited to 32 regular season games, mostly due to a hamstring injury he suffered during training camp that led to a long and frustrating healing process.
“Getting injured in the first place, coming back,” he recalled. “Getting injured again, coming back. I think it happened like three or four times. It was hard.”
Green admitted that he enjoyed eliminating the Warriors, who defeated his Houston team in seven games last year in his first playoff appearance. Even so, he was grateful for a postgame chat with Stephen Curry, whom he credits for helping to develop his game, relays Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“He was just telling me to handle business in OKC,” Green said. “Coming from Steph, it means a lot to chop it up with him and just hear from him at the end of the day, just because I was maybe 16 years old when he was having me come out to Oakland just to work out with him. So he’s kind of been somewhat of a mentor. I was able to get his number and reach out throughout these years. So he’s been kind of something like a mentor. And playing against him is always great. He’s one of the greatest shooters — greatest players of all time.”
There’s more from Phoenix:
- Devin Booker and Draymond Green both got tossed from Friday’s game after a prolonged shouting match late in the fourth quarter, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Booker downplayed the heated exchange in a postgame session with the media. “It’s nothing man,” he said. “I’ve been there before and I understand the situation. My big brother used to beat me in NBA Live back in the day and I’d throw a fit. He’s a competitor. He loves the sport.”
- Mark Williams (left foot soreness) and Grayson Allen (left hamstring) are listed as questionable for Sunday’s series opener at Oklahoma City, Rankin states in a separate story. Both players sat out Friday’s game, although Williams played 22 minutes in Tuesday’s play-in contest against Portland. Allen, who was injured on April 10, was on the active roster Friday but wasn’t used.
- Rasheer Fleming looks like part of the Suns’ future after a promising rookie season, Rankin adds in another piece. Phoenix traded up to the top of the second round in last year’s draft to get Fleming, who made his first career start in the season finale and posted 16 points. “It’s been a great experience, honestly, on both ends,” he said. “For me to be able to watch and to be able to be on the floor throughout the season, it’s been great.”
- The Suns’ playoff appearance will result in a $1MM bonus for Dillon Brooks, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The bonus had been classified as unlikely because Phoenix didn’t qualify for the postseason last year.
It’s quite cute when they get technicals for arguing, good for business
Good to see ya John, See davey J has gone to OKC to watch the warriors beat them.
what the hell is this crap post? why are you clowns always talking about me? stop obsessing over me, its utterly pathetic. f your mother for raising you wrong, you absolutely worthless, inbred loser. stop mentioning my name. now.
you can dish negative comments to everyone else, but you cant take it yourself, you are the loser lil bro
You come in here to talk about me, never the other way around. The only person I talk about is Gary, who I have muted. He talks about me while muting me, so that is fair. The rest of you have no excuse. Stop gangstalking, stop gaslighting, stop baiting, stop trolling. When I do it, its funny and links back to the original post topic. When you do it, it adds nothing and is not about the NBA.
Grow. TF. Up. Baby. Bro.
Move along and shift the goalposts against Mr Narcissist
You still arent talking NBA, coward.
What are you doing? Dish it out then play the victim.
Who am I dishing out to in this thread? You clowns called me out, you literally dropped my name, you targeted me for harassment, publicly. Like, you literally did a callout post, but then claimed to be the victim after I answered it? LMAO What a joke, get out of these threads man, you are worthless to this place. You are low IQ.
Just talk hoops, not posters. IF this was made law my posting changes like 3%. Yours is 100%. Go. Away. Troll.
@Peace and Love <- so which of my longtime haters finally got locked out of their account so they opened this one?
@Peace and love = wild coward loser
here you are abusing others but playing the victim
Abusing who? How? Lmao you are literally playing the victim after calling me out. Amazing. Head fully entered butt.
Good morning Brian, I hope he doesn’t get a technical for getting angry
I hope everyone targeting me for harassment and gangstalking understands they are breaking TOS by doing so @SteveAdams
@SteveAdams
Can we make it so that anyone who mentions me in a post that isn’t replying to me gets instantly IP banned? That would clean up this place from all the psychopaths who make everything about themselves, and commit crimes like gangstalking and targeted harassment and leave it for us who are totally fine in only talking NBA and their rumors. All these people who call me out and do these corny callout posts gotta go. For real. This is incel-level trolling crud. Grow up. Talk hoops or GTFO.
Looks like the dish ran away with the spoon
looks like your mother and father are brother and sister