On Wednesday, the Houston Rockets ended the San Antonio Spurs‘ two-game winning streak with a 114-101 win at the Toyota Center. The game was close until the fourth quarter before the home side upped the ante and pulled clear of the visitors to secure the win. Rockets center Alperen Sengun was the star of the show, as he scored a career-high 45 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, dished three assists, and stole the ball five times in a statement performance against runaway Rookie of the Year favorite Victor Wembanyama.
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In comparison the Frenchman had a quiet outing by his standards, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. However, he did record seven blocks, five against Sengun, but couldn’t stop the Rockets star from having the best scoring performance of his career.
Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless praised Sengun for his relentless activity on the offensive end despite Wembanyama swatting away five of his shot attempts. He posted on X, formerly called Twitter,
“Wemby blocked 7 shots tonight at Houston – 5 of them Sengun’s. Yet talk about tenacity: Sengun just kept coming, scored a career-high 45 (to Wemby’s 10 pts) with 16 rebounds (to Wemby’s 11). Wemby blocked 7 and still got his butt kicked by a 6-foot-11 guy.”
Sengun had 15 points at halftime, but his team trailed by six points, so he impressively elevated his game to spark the comeback with an 18-point third-quarter performance, followed by 12 more in the fourth to help the Rockets secure the win. The center has scored more than 30 or more points in a game only eight times this season but poured 30 in the second half alone against the Spurs. The Rockets star was in stellar form and gave Wembanyama an unfamiliar humbling.
Sengun is averaging 20.8 points per game this season. While this is a great number for the 21-year-old, it is a far cry from the 45-point explosion he had against Victor Wembanyama. Perhaps the young star has been seeing all the attention the Frenchman has been getting off late and decided to make him one of his targets. Wembanyama may have to tread carefully the next time he plays the Houston Rockets.
Alperen Sengun’s heartfelt tribute to teammate
Post-game, Alperen Sengun said he was dedicating his 45-point outing to teammate Tari Eason, who underwent season-ending surgery to remove a benign growth in his lower leg. The Rockets center said,
“I’m sending this game for Tari [Eason]. I love him. He’s gonna come back more stronger. We need him on this team. And next year’s gonna be easier.”
Eason was on an Instagram livestream and captured Sengun’s heartfelt tribute. He hilariously feigned crying before saying,
“I appreciate that brother. Alpi’s a real one.”
Sengun’s sensational outing helped the Rockets win their second straight game and improve their record to 27-34, good for 12th in the West. They likely won’t make the playoffs or even earn a play-in tournament berth, but it’s a rebuilding year for the young roster. Houston is building a team that can compete in the near future and Sengun is proving he’ll be at the forefront, leading the charge when they are ready to challenge the absolute best in the NBA.
