Alperen Sengun recorded his eighth double-double and helped the Houston Rockets hold off a late push from the Washington Wizards in a 107-92 win on Monday.
Sengun scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Rockets, who played without point guard Fred VanVleet (hamstring injury). Houston only had 13 assists but relied on fast breaks and Sengun’s strong performance inside to get the win.
The Wizards made a push in the fourth quarter, with Kyle Kuzma scoring eight points during an 11-4 run to close the gap to 86-80. After a Houston timeout, Sengun responded with a dunk, a driving layup, and a 3-pointer, helping the Rockets regain a double-digit lead at 93-80.
Jalen Green contributed 18 points for Houston, while Amen Thompson added 13 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. Aaron Holiday and Jabari Smith Jr. each scored 11 points.
The Rockets outpaced the Wizards in fast breaks, scoring 23 points in transition, and dominated the rebounding battle with a 58-34 advantage. Smith grabbed nine rebounds, and Tari Eason finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and three steals.
Kuzma led the Wizards with 18 points, but it took him 18 shots to reach that total, showing how poorly the Wizards shot (35.5 percent). Jordan Poole managed just 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting, while second overall pick Alexandre Sarr scored five points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Both teams bounced back after slow starts.
In the first quarter, Washington got 15 points from Carlton Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly to help keep the game close. Houston had a balanced attack, with six points from Sengun, Green, and Smith.
Washington shot 52.2 percent in the opening quarter but still trailed 30-28, partly because the Rockets were aggressive, earning 10 free throws compared to just four for the Wizards.
Houston tried to pull away late in the second, stretching their lead to as much as 55-40 with back-to-back steals and fast-break layups from Green and Eason. But Kuzma answered with a 3-pointer and a layup to help Washington cut the lead to 57-49 at halftime.
The Rockets shot 51.2 percent before the break, despite having just four assists.
