Game 3 of their first-round series did not go as the Houston Rockets had hoped. They fell 104-93 to a Golden State Warriors team that was without Jimmy Butler, and now trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Not only did the Rockets disappoint on the court, but shortly after the final buzzer sounded, Jalen Green proceeded to add insult to injury by getting into a heated altercation with Warriors star Draymond Green (no relation).
When talking to the media after the game, Jalen continued to fire shots in Draymond's direction, only they appear to have been misguided.
Jalen Green was asked about his interaction with Draymond Green at the end of the game:
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) April 27, 2025
"Just talking. He can't really do much of anything else, so talking is his only way." pic.twitter.com/QZlZMqNnsG
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Jalen Green sounds as petty as anyone can be after Game 3 altercation with Draymond
Talking is all Draymond can do? Really? And you're saying this after the game you just had?
Draymond is not the scorer Jalen is, but his lack of scoring does not mean he isn't an impactful player. In fact, his outstanding Game 3 performance was a big reason why Golden State was able to win even without Butler. Draymond didn't shoot the ball well at all, but he stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of seven points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks. His presence on the defensive end was a big reason why the Rockets were limited to just 95 points on the night and why Houston has scored under 100 points in two of three playoff games they've played thus far.
On the flip side, Jalen, a player who can really only score, had nine points on 4-for-11 shooting from the field and went 1-for-5 from three-point range. Fresh off a dominant 38-point outing in Game 2, Jalen was one of the most disappointing players on the floor in Game 3.
Had Jalen attempted to minimize Draymond's impact after Game 2 when he played well and his team won, he would've been wrong, but at least he would've been able to back up his smack talk. In this case, though, Jalen struggled, the Rockets lost, and Draymond played well. Why exactly did he think this was the right time to stir up drama with a four-time NBA Champion? He really sounds like a frustrated kid who played poorly and lost a game he should've won.
The Rockets are still in this series, but they'll need Jalen to play closer to the way he did in Game 2 for them to have much of a chance of outlasting a proven Golden State team. Jalen poking the bear instead of focusing on playing better might prove to be costly in a series in which the Rockets have little margin for error.