Jalen Green made a stellar 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 in the NBA.
Green, the former No. 2 overall pick, joined the Suns in the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. After missing the first eight games due to a hamstring injury, the 23-year-old guard impressed immediately, sinking 10 of 20 shots, including six three-pointers — a record for a Suns debut.
“It felt good to be back,” Green said. “I was telling everybody on my team, I couldn’t even take my nap fully — I was so anxious to get back on the floor. It was a lot of hard work. Shout out to the training staff and everybody for working with me. I’m happy to be back out there.”
He added that he’s still working his way into peak condition. “We’re still working on it. Today was a great step. It’s a great city, great team, and hopefully there’s many more wins and many more records to break.”
Devin Booker supported with 24 points as the Suns turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 40-point third-quarter explosion, pushing their lead to as many as 25 before coasting to victory.
Ivica Zubac led the Clippers with 23 points and 11 rebounds, but the team struggled without Kawhi Leonard, who sat out with a sprained right ankle, and James Harden, who missed the game due to personal reasons.
Former Suns guard Bradley Beal was met with boos in his first return to Phoenix, finishing with just five points on 2-of-14 shooting in 19 minutes.
The Suns improved to 4-1 at home and will face the Clippers again in Los Angeles on Saturday.