Alperen Sengun gave the Rockets a jolt early in the third quarter Saturday, turning a straight-line drive into one of the game’s loudest moments in Houston’s 121-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
With Dyson Daniels in front of him, Sengun brought the ball up himself, attacked off the dribble and finished through traffic with a slam dunk that had the Rockets rolling. It was a clean reminder that even with the Houston offense taking on more balance, Sengun still has the ability to take over a possession on his own.
The finish fit into another strong all-around night for the Turkish big man. Sengun came in averaging 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists over the first two games, and he continued that start against Atlanta with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Houston’s offense kept spreading the load around, too. Fred VanVleet sat out on the second night of a back-to-back, but the rotation still found plenty of scoring punch, with seven Rockets reaching at least 11 points. Kevin Durant led the way with 22.
Sengun’s role has been eased a bit by VanVleet’s return, giving Houston more balance and taking some of the playmaking burden off his shoulders. Even so, the sequence against Daniels showed exactly why he remains such a dangerous force: he can facilitate, he can score, and when the lane opens up, he can punish a defense himself.
The Rockets and Hawks will meet again Monday in Atlanta to finish the home-and-home.
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He answered with a sharp all-around outing and helped Houston leave with a 121-114 win, exactly the kind of rotation lift the team was hoping to find in the early going. Ime Udoka pointed to Sheppards performance and defensive activity afterward, which matters even more for a club trying to stay afloat while its veteran guards are out and its depth is being tested this early. [Read more 🡒]