Sengun's triple-double fuels a dominant Rockets victory. Young phenom Reed Sheppard erupts for a career-best scoring night, overwhelming the Kings.
The Houston Rockets steamrolled the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night at Toyota Center in a matchup that was blatantly reflective of the teams’ respective records. Finally- some predictability in the West.
With Amen Thompson sidelined (quad tendinitis) and Dorian Finney-Smith resting ahead of Orlando, Houston leaned into youth and rhythm. Reed Sheppard made his first career home start and turned Toyota Center into his personal shooting lab. Final: 128-97 Rockets.
From the tip, it was clear Sacramento had one plan: let Russell Westbrook cook and hope something else materializes. He scored 10 of the Kings’ first 12 points and finished the first quarter with 17.
The problem for Sacramento is that no one else showed up. The rest of the Kings went 1-for-9 in the frame. Houston responded with a run, eight early points from Sheppard, and not a single turnover- a refreshing development after coughing up 26 to the Jazz on Monday night.
Alperen Sengun opened the second by getting downhill and orchestrating everything- and continued to do so for the rest of the night. Sheppard buried his third three off a Sengun screen, then another from deep. If the Kings had Westbrook, the Rockets had Reed. By the midpoint of the quarter, Sheppard was 4-of-6 from three. He’d eventually tie his career high with six before halftime.
Houston’s lead ballooned to 30 as Sengun dominated the paint battle against Raynaud and entered the break with 18 points, nine boards, and seven assists, while Kevin Durant quietly stacked 16 on 7-of-10 shooting.
The Rockets shot 57-percent in the first half, went 11-for-21 from deep, and committed just three turnovers. Ball movement was crisp, and everyone got a piece of it. Sacramento shot 40-percent and trailed 77-50 at the break.
The third quarter flirted with drama, but it never got too close for comfort. Houston opened sloppy, while the Kings went on a 13-2 run. Udoka course corrected with a timeout, and Durant steadied things with a pull-up.
Okogie restored dominance with back-to-back threes before Sengun found Holiday for three- assist number ten. Triple-double secured: 26 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists.
The final frame didn’t need to be inspiring after Sheppard hit his seventh three- a fresh career high- and the bench emptied early.
Five Rockets finished in double figures. Sengun’s triple-double powered beautiful two-man basketball with Sheppard (28 points, 7-of-16 from three). Durant added 21 and five assists. Okogie dropped 14 on 5-of-8 shooting and finished with a team-best +30.
Houston shot 54-percent overall and 43.6-percent from deep.
The Rockets advance to 36-21, while the Kings fall to 13-47.