Injured ankle at the start of 2026, alperen Sengun was struggling to get back to his best level, as he himself admitted. But against the Grizzlies, the Rockets pivot displayed his most dominant face.
From the first half, he imposed his rule: 14 points at 7/7 shooting when returning to the locker room.
“It’s been three weeks as my ankle injury and I feel better now,” ensures the pivot. “The swelling is almost completely gone. I didn’t feel pleasant jumping on my two supports. There,things are better. We had two days without playing, that helped me. »
Returning from the locker room,Kevin Durant took over with 12 points in the third quarter. Despite this strong passage, Houston approaches the last twelve minutes with a slight delay. So Alperen Sengun takes control. The Turk launched a decisive 12-2, during which he scored six points and restored the advantage to the texans.
“He carries us when we have difficulty getting our shots in,” recognizes Kevin Durant. “In the first three quarters,we had good shots,but we didn’t make them. He remained constant, he was the one who got us into the rhythm. We fed off his actions and, in the fourth, we were able to change the situation. »
At the heart of the last quarter, the Turkish interior receives a pass from Kevin Durant. Santi Aldama is forced to help, which completely frees KD behind the arc: Houston instantly finds the open shot.
Un duo flew
On the next possession,the roles reversed. Santi Aldama finds himself directly on Alperen Sengun, while Jaylen Wells remains glued to Kevin Durant, not wanting to let go of KD to come help. Result: Alperen Sengun clears his defender and makes his way to the circle.
“They had favorable matchups,” Analyzing udoka. “Sengun was defended by Aldama, so he was able to go to his spots. They started playing in pairs, on classic or reverse pick-and-roll. As Memphis could not leave Durant alone, Sengun could attack the racket, and conversely KD was served at 3-points. »
The sequence which seals the meeting resembles a summary of the tactical duel. While there are still only six points difference, Memphis changes again on the screen set by Kevin Durant: Jaren Jackson Jr. comes to help Wells, releasing Kevin Durant full axis. His pivot serves him, and the former Nets immediately punishes from long distance.
“It’s fun…and it’s demoralizing for the other team,” smiles Kevin durant. “At the end of the match, they changed the screens: Sengun found himself with a winger on his back and I was wide open at 3-points. When they passed him, he just had to turn around to come back with his right hand, then he did what he wanted. »
Same reading on the Sengun side: “When I play like that, it opens the game for both of us. If they come to help, I’ll find it every time. If they don’t help, it leaves me to play. »
Carried by this duo, Houston won 108-99. Alperen Sengun finished with an remarkable 15/17 shooting, and the Rockets scored a fifth victory in six games to confirm their place in the Top 4 of the Western Conference with 28 wins for 16 losses, in an evening where the connection with Kevin Durant turned the match around.
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