Şengün dominated with 36 points and a complete stat sheet, sparking crucial runs that propelled the Rockets to a much-needed decisive victory.
The game started off with a highlight as Zion curled around a screen for a powerful two hand dunk. He looked spry to begin the game, driving down the lane for another acrobatic finish. Possibly a cause for concern.
The Rockets’ All-Stars responded with Alpi scoring on multiple of his patented post moves, plus a triple from Durant. Hopefully a good omen of things to come on Houston’s end.
Jabari joined the party with a triple and fastbreak flush early on, followed by another fast break bucket from Amen Thompson. Halfway through the quarter, Reed Sheppard was the only Rockets starter not on the scoreboard.
While the quarter ended without Sheppard making a shot, Tari Eason and Aaron Holiday came in and helped right away, each knocking down a three. After the old timer, Kevin Durant, put Karlo Matkovic on a poster, the first period finished at 29 apiece.
Jae’Sean Tate made an early appearance to start the second quarter, and that will look like a great decision on paper. It’s tough to say he actually contributed to this run, but Houston went 8-0 at the onset.
I’d give more credit to Alperen Şengün’s back to back threes that gave him his 14th point on 6/7 shooting. Jabari’s pair of triples started and finished the 14-3 run through the first 2:43 of the second.
After that onslaught forced a timeout, the Rockets went on another 9-0 run. This made it 23-3 halfway through the quarter. With a 20 point lead (52-32), I couldn’t help but think back to this disaster of a game, covered on Roundtable.
Maybe the Rockets were thinking of that night too because they finished the quarter strong. Alpi made his third three in as many attempts, tying for his second most makes in any NBA game.
The cherry on top was a beautiful behind the back crossover and lob to Amen Thompson for an absolutely filthy slam. The highlight of the night, without a doubt.
Returning from the locker room with a 21 point advantage, Houston looked to build on their 39-18 second quarter. Reed got his first points early on, draining back to back triples after missing his two attempts before halftime.
There was a considerably different feel to this half, as it honestly seemed like both teams just wanted the final buzzer to sound. The Rockets slipped up a bit in the third, allowing New Orleans to cut it down to 15 points, but ultimately finished 101-80.
After a 33-33 quarter, they just had to maintain that 21 point lead to walk away from this game tied with the Timberwolves. A 33-22 fourth quarter did just that, much to the relief of Rockets fans.
The 134-102 win marks the type of game Houston has been needing. Şengün was the player of the game, leading all scorers with 36 points and an impressive all around stat sheet. Tari Eason had a nice game with 15 points off the bench.