Without Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengün took full control and anchored the Houston Rockets past a determined Indiana Pacers squad on the road.
After missing out on an All-Star nod, Alperen Sengün is letting his game do the talking.
Sengun picked up the load for the Houston Rockets side missing star Kevin Durant (ankle), posting a dominant outing that keyed a narrow 118-114 road win over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, February 3 (PH time).
The Turkish big man matched a season-high with 39 points and 16 rebounds for his 23rd double-double of the season, adding five assists to lift the Rockets to their third-straight win and fifth victory in six games.
Jabari Smith Jr. chipped in 19 points, while Amen Thompson had a near triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists as Houston improved to 31-17.
After Jae’Sean Tate’s putback extended Houston’s lead to 117-112, Bennedict Mathurin delivered a thunderous fastbreak slam to pull the Pacers within 117-114 with just 40 seconds remaining.
Sengün missed two free throws but grabbed the offensive rebound, and after Amen Thompson also split his two shots from the line, the Rockets held a slim 118-114 lead with 3.8 seconds remaining and eventually hung on.
Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 27 points, a day after earning his fourth career All-Star selection.
After winning back-to-back games, Indiana fell at home, dropping to 13-37 on the season.
Up next, the Rockets return home against the Boston Celtics (31-18), while the Pacers welcome the Utah Jazz (15-35).
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.