Future Hall of Fame point guard Russell Westbrook is fond of passing the game to the next generation, and he’s funded a number of AAU and youth teams in Southern California across the last decade-plus. Westbrook’s charitable efforts came back to bite him Wednesday night.

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green had a somewhat slow start to the NBA's 2024-25 regular season, but things are escalating very quickly as the calendar turns to 2025.

The first choice for Houston's representation in the All-Star Game is Alperen Sengun, who has shown more consistency throughout the season. He's averaging 19.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season. However, Green has a case as well, seeing as how he leads the Rockets in points per game.

With 27 points for the game on elite efficiency and 8 in the fourth quarter, Houston won at Memphis to extend its lead for the No. 2 seed in the West.

It's tough to get Ime Udoka to laugh on the bench, but Russell Westbrook succeeded when he called Jalen Green a little kid. Westbrook had a good reason, too.

Rockets Amen Thompson had the funnest quote of the night about Jalen Green with a smile on his face: “You see what Jalen did tonight, unguardable, unless it’s me, you can tell him that.” #Rockets #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/KWdJU6nz9G Thompson's bravado may be startling. He's also not wrong.

In a recent interview, Amen Thompson humorously commented on teammate Jalen Green's standout play against the Grizzlies.

DENVER (AP) — Jalen Green scored 34 points, Alperen Sengun had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the Houston Rockets beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 128-108 on Wednesday night.

The Houston Rockets are led by a stout defense, a versatile supporting cast and two rising stars. But Alperen Şengün is still way ahead of Jalen Green.

That’s Jalen’s gravity,” Amen Thompson said of his late buckets versus Memphis. “They sent two at (Green), so it's just up to the back line.”

The Rockets' two top scorers have a chance to be voted into the NBA All-Star Game, recognition their teammates say both players earned. So we had them pitch it.