Center Sengun Stuns Rockets in Stellar Display of Basketball Magic!
With Alperen Sengun (low back pain) out for a second straight game, Clint Capela made his second start of the season for the Rockets.
HOUSTON -- Though he was at least a partial participant in Monday’s shootaround, the Rockets were again without All-Star center Alperen Sengun (low back pain) for their home matchup versus the Lakers. It’s the second consecutive game that Sengun has missed with that designation. With their Turkish big man sidelined, the Rockets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday .
Monday’s Rockets-Lakers game is an important one in the Western Conference playoff race, as Los Angeles and Houston entered tied in the loss column (42-25 and 41-25) in the tightly packed standings . Those are the third-fewest losses among all West teams. With per-game averages of 20.
2 points (50. 3% FG), 8. 9 rebounds, and 6.
1 assists per game, Sengun is enjoying another strong statistical season. So, in a perfect world, the Rockets would certainly prefer to have him available. But tracking data suggests that his defense has slipped relative to last season, and it’s conceivable that physical ailments could be at least part of the explanation.