Alperen Sengun's record-setting feat helps Rockets book NBA Cup QF spot
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The Houston Rockets continued their rapid ascent towards the top of the league’s totem pole by being the second team to book their spot in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup following a thrilling 117-111 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. For a second, it looked as though the Rockets were going to choke away an 18-point lead, but in the end, Houston did just enough to pull away.
As has usually been the case for the Rockets this season, Alperen Sengun once again played a starring role in their huge victory over another aspiring contender. This matchup is not easy at all for Sengun, as he was being defended by Rudy Gobert for most of the night, but Sengun and the Rockets were the ones to have the last laugh — with the 22-year-old center tallying 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists for his third triple-double of the campaign.
Sengun, in the process, has made some nice big-man history as well. According to StatMamba on X (formerly known as Twitter), the Rockets star became the youngest center in NBA history to tally at least seven career triple-doubles.
The Rockets continue to build their offense around Sengun, and it is churning out positive results; the team has plenty of willing and capable off-ball movers who capitalize on Sengun’s elite feel for the game, and after their latest win, they stand in third place in the Western Conference standings with a 13-6 record.
With Sengun under contract for the Rockets until at least the 2028-29 season, the best may be yet to come for Houston.
Rockets’ identity is taking shape
The Rockets have assembled for themselves a nice, young core; it has gotten to the point where it looks as though they have the luxury of choice regarding whose development they would want to prioritize. And so far, Alperen Sengun is looking like their undisputed long-term building block, especially amid Jalen Green’s uneven play.
Green found himself benched in the late goings of the Rockets’ win over the Timberwolves, with head coach Ime Udoka opting to put Amen Thompson in place of the 22-year-old guard. Thompson rewarded the Rockets with the game-saving steal that led to the game-tying bucket that sent the game to overtime.
With Sengun’s main weakness being his average (at best) defense, the Rockets must put as many positive defenders around him as possible. And that could mean that Green would be less of a priority for the team moving forward.
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