Alperen Sengun showcased a career-best performance with 45 points and 16 rebounds, guiding the Houston Rockets to a 114-101 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.
Sengun, now in his third NBA season, also notched a personal best with five steals, along with three assists and a block, overshadowing rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama, the top pick from France. Wembanyama managed 10 points, 11 rebounds, and seven blocks as San Antonio’s two-game winning streak came to an end.
“He was a beast,” remarked Jalen Green. “He was amazing, that’s the Alpi I know.”
Sengun became just the fifth player since 1973-74, when steals were first tracked, to record at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five steals in a game. He joins the esteemed company of Anthony Davis (who achieved it twice), Joel Embiid, James Harden, and John Drew. At 21 years and 224 days old, Sengun stands as the youngest player to accomplish such a feat.
Sengun revealed he was particularly driven to deliver a stellar performance against Wembanyama on Tuesday, after posting 15 points and nine rebounds in their last encounter.
“Yeah, of course,” he acknowledged. “I didn’t play that good last game against him, I can say. I didn’t see that many double teams today. They just left me one-on-one with Wemby, so I just did what I do.”
The Spurs narrowed the lead to 92-88 with about eight minutes left, but Houston responded with a decisive 7-2 run, pushing the margin to 99-92 midway through the final quarter. Sengun’s steal and behind-the-back pass to Cam Whitmore for a dunk highlighted the surge.
As the game neared its end, the Rockets sealed the victory with another 7-2 run, with Sengun contributing the final five points, including a clutch 3-pointer.
Jalen Green added 23 points with 10 assists for Houston, while Fred VanVleet chipped in with 21 points.
Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 22 points, supported by Malaki Branham’s 20 points off the bench.
“They were physical from the get-go until the end of the game,” commented San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich. “They came after it that way, they played that way. They put us in the mud, we didn’t respond to it very well and you got the outcome.”
Tensions flared in the third quarter when Jeremy Sochan tripped Amen Thompson, sparking a brief altercation between the two players. Sochan received a flagrant 1 foul for tripping Thompson, while both players were assessed technical fouls for the ensuing altercation.
