Green shines in season debut as Suns defeat Clippers 115–102
Jalen Green made a dazzling season debut for the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, scoring 29 points to lead his team to a 115–102 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Green — acquired in the blockbuster offseason trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets — had missed the Suns’ first eight games with a hamstring injury.
The 23-year-old showed no signs of rust, shooting 10-for-20 from the field and hitting six three-pointers, setting a record for most threes in a Suns debut. He also contributed three rebounds and three assists in just 23 minutes.
“It felt good to be back,” Green said after the game. “I couldn’t even take my nap — I was so anxious to get back on the floor. It’s been a lot of hard work… I’m happy to be back out there.”
Devin Booker added 24 points as the Suns, previously winless on the road, improved to 4–1 at home. After a tight first half that saw 11 lead changes, Phoenix erupted with 40 points in the third quarter, making their first eight shots of the period and stretching the lead to as many as 20.
Ivica Zubac led the Clippers with 23 points and 11 rebounds, but Los Angeles struggled without stars Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and James Harden (personal reasons). Bradley Beal, in his first return to Phoenix since being waived last season, was booed by Suns fans and finished with just five points on 2-of-14 shooting in 19 minutes.
The Suns will visit the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday for the second half of the back-to-back matchup.
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