While the Portland Trail Blazers got overwhelmed by the star-powered Houston Rockets Friday night, Portland’s rookie center Yang Hansen was busy making his G League debut with the Rip City Remix.
It was a much better night for Portland’s G League affiliate and the 7-foot-1 big man, as they came from behind to defeat the Valley Suns 107-104 on the road. In 29 minutes, Yang got the start and registered eight points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three fouls, one block, one steal and two turnovers while
shooting 4-11 from the field and 0-2 on 3s. The Remix trailed by as many as 22 in the second quarter, but they outscored the Suns 68-45 in the second half to grab the win.
Yang’s first bucket came off an offensive put-back in the first quarter, one of five offensive rebounds he corralled. His last play in the highlight tape, a pretty backdoor feed to forward Jayson Kent for the flush, was part of a 14-0 burst by the Remix with just under five minutes remaining that erased a 99-89 deficit and gave the visitors a lead for good.
Opposite Yang, Khaman Maluach, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, started at center for the Suns. The 7-foot-1 center out of Duke registered nine points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, three turnovers and six fouls, while shooting 2-5 from the floor. He was a plus/minus of minus-16 in 26 minutes (Yang registered a neutral plus/minus in his playing time). Fellow 2025 draft classmate Rasheer Fleming, the No. 31 pick, also played 30 minutes for the Suns. The forward put up a team-high 23 points on 8-14 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds.
Elsewhere for the Remix, forward Dillon Jones continued his stellar early season with a team-high 30 points on 10-16 shooting, seven rebounds and five steals. Blazers two-way contract guard Javonte Cooke tallied 16 points, six rebounds and three assists while shooting 7-20 from the field.
Yang and the Remix will be back in action Sunday for another road game. They take on the South Bay Lakers at 5 p.m. Pacific.
