HOU 118, IND 114: Alperen Sengun Cleans Up With 16 Boards
Tyler Okonkwo
Student & Retail Associate ยท Houston Rockets fan
Sengun Goes NUCLEAR, Rockets Steal Road Win in Indiana
Alright, this one hit different. My Rockets just walked into Gainbridge Fieldhouse and took care of business 118-114, and honestly, it felt like watching a masterclass in how to win close games. The crazy part? It came down to execution and one dude just deciding to absolutely take over.
Let me be straight with you: Alperen Sengun didn't just play well tonight. He went full paint tyrant. 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists in 35 minutes. That's a 60.7 Yahoo performance, which is the kind of number that wins your weekly matchup by itself.
Here's the insane part about his line. Sengun shot 13-25 from the field but went 13-18 from the stripe. That's free throw hunting at its finest, and it's honestly the most dominant way a big can put a game on ice. He outscored his season average by 17.6 points. This wasn't a "had a good night" situation. This was a "carry your team to victory" situation.
For context on why this matters: Sengun's been hovering around 21.4 points per game this season. Tonight he was literally 80% above that. If you own him, you already knew what you had. If you don't, understanding that he's capable of nights like this changes how you value him in trades.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alperen Sengun | 51.0 | 60.7 | 39/16/5 | 21.4/9.4/6.3 | +17.6 |
| Amen Thompson | 43.0 | 46.7 | 16/11/7 | 18.1/7.8/5.5 | -2.1 |
| Pascal Siakam | 44.0 | 39.3 | 27/4/5 | 23.8/6.8/4.0 | +3.2 |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 39.0 | 37.3 | 25/4/5 | 17.8/5.4/2.3 | +7.2 |
| Isaiah Jackson | 38.0 | 35.2 | 6/6/4 | 6.3/5.4/0.8 | -0.3 |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | 32.0 | 29.3 | 19/4/1 | 15.1/6.9/1.9 | +3.9 |
| Aaron Nesmith | 30.0 | 29.2 | 17/6/2 | 13.9/4.9/2.3 | +3.1 |
| Reed Sheppard | 27.0 | 27.9 | 11/2/5 | 12.6/2.5/3.0 | -1.6 |
| Tari Eason | 23.0 | 24.0 | 9/10/0 | 12.0/6.3/1.4 | -3.0 |
| Andrew Nembhard | 25.0 | 23.2 | 7/1/8 | 17.3/3.0/7.5 | -10.3 |
Thompson's Defense Was The Real Story
Look, Amen Thompson ended with 46.7 Yahoo points (16/11/7/2/2), and that feels low compared to how much he actually impacted this win. He played 39 minutes and was everywhere on that court. The assists and rebounds are what popped, but the steals and blocks (2 of each) in a close game? That's the kind of stuff that actually swings momentum.
Here's where it gets interesting though: Thompson actually went slightly negative on scoring compared to his season average (-2.1 on points), but his rebounding picked up heavy (+3.2 vs avg). In a game decided by 4 points, those extra rebounds were basically the whole difference. That's the kind of contextual stuff that tells you whether a player showed up when it mattered, not just how many points they scored.
Indiana's Bench Showed Up, Haliburton Didn't
This is where the Pacers story gets messy. Pascal Siakam put up 27 points on 12-21 shooting and looked like the All-NBA third team guy he is. That's 39.3 Yahoo points and honestly a pretty clean performance, especially since he knocked down some threes (2-3 from distance).
Bennedict Mathurin was the real surprise though. 25 points on 8-15 shooting with 9-10 from the line. He exceeded his season average by 7.2 points and looked like he wanted this one. 37.3 Yahoo points is franchise-changing stuff for a guy averaging 17.8 PPG.
The issue? Andrew Nembhard completely disappeared. 7 points on 2-5 shooting, 8 assists but that still only got him to 23.2 Yahoo points. He's averaging 17.3 points per game this season, so tonight he was basically -10.3 points below his usual output. In a 4-point game, that's everything.
And Tyrese Haliburton not being in the box score at all is just... yeah. I don't know what happened there, but in a close game where Indiana needs their All-NBA guard, that's a killer.
Rockets Role Guys Stayed Solid
Jabari Smith Jr. gave us 19 points, 4 boards, 1 assist on solid efficiency (6-12 FG, 4-4 FT). That's 29.3 Yahoo points and pretty much exactly what you'd expect from him. He was +3.9 on scoring compared to his season average, which is nice but nothing explosive.
Reed Sheppard had one of those young guy games where he does a little bit of everything. 11 points, 2 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals in 25 minutes. 27.9 Yahoo points. He's a rookie who's showing up when his team needs him in close games. That's worth monitoring long-term.
Tari Eason was interesting. 9 points but 10 rebounds in 33 minutes. Dude was a glass cleaner tonight and probably saved a few possessions that mattered in the final moments.
The Waiver Wire Vibes
Steven Adams got dropped by 0.1% of teams, which makes sense since he got 0 minutes tonight and is only owned in 2.4% of leagues anyway. Don't bother picking him up unless you're in a deep league and desperate.
League-wide, Jarrett Allen is still being added (now at 85.5% ownership) and honestly that makes sense for a defensive guy in a solid situation. If you don't have him yet, grab him.
What This Means Going Forward
Rockets got the W without Kevin Durant apparently not suiting up tonight, which tells you how deep this squad goes. Sengun showing he can drop 60 Yahoo points on any given night is the real headline. If you're facing him next week, that's the guy to game-plan around.
Pacers had enough offense to win most nights but when your primary ball-handler plays like that, it doesn't matter how many points Siakam and Mathurin drop.