Basketball

‘Phenomenal game’: Alperen Sengun breaks out as Rockets hold off Jalen Brunson, Knicks

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3 weeks ago

November 5, 2024

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‘Phenomenal game’: Alperen Sengun breaks out as Rockets hold off Jalen Brunson, Knicks

With 25 points (73.3% shooting), 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks, Alperen Sengun snapped his recent slump as Houston posted an impressive victory over Jalen Brunson and the visiting Knicks.

In the second game of a three-game homestand at Toyota Center, the Rockets improved to 4-3 on the 2024-25 NBA season with Monday’s 109-97 victory (box score) over the visiting New York Knicks (3-3). Houston is now 2-3 as a favorite this season and 2-0 as an underdog.

After entering in something of a slump, big man Alperen Sengun broke out in a big way with a team-high 25 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks, shooting 11-of-15 from the field (73.3%). In contrast to recent games, Sengun forced the hand of head coach Ime Udoka and was a key part of Houston’s closing lineup in the fourth quarter.

“I thought he had a phenomenal game,” Udoka said of Sengun, who scored 10 of those 25 points in the final quarter. “Stuffed the stat sheet across the board and took on the challenge on both ends.”

Jalen Green struggled to shoot for the game as a whole, but he made two big 3-pointers late as Houston put the game away. Overall, Green had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 31.3% from the field.

For the Rockets, other standouts included:

Fred VanVleet: 19 points, 5 assists; 8-of-13 shooting (61.5%)
Amen Thompson: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists; 5-of-8 shooting (62.5%)
Dillon Brooks: 13 points, 3 rebounds; 3-of-5 from 3-point range (60.0%)

Led by Sengun, the Rockets crushed the Knicks in the rebounding battle, 60-45. That helped Houston offset an ice cold 8-of-33 shooting night on 3-pointers (24.2%).

The Knicks were led by perennial All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, who had 29 points and 8 assists. However, strong defense from the likes of Thompson helped limit Brunson to just 9-of-24 shooting (37.5%) and only 1.21 points per shot attempt. Big man Karl Anthony Towns added 17 points and 19 rebounds, but strong defense by Brooks and Sengun helped limit him to 7-of-17 shooting (41.2%), and the Knicks were a game-worst -26 in his 32 minutes.

Highlights and postgame interview tidbits are available below.

Game Highlights

Postgame Tidbits

Interviews

What’s Next

Houston wraps up its three-game homestand on Wednesday versus San Antonio (3-3), with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central. The Knicks play at Atlanta (3-5) on that same night.