Sengun had a career-defining night against a foul-plagued Wembanyama.
SAN ANTONIO — Before Tuesday San Antonio Spurs-Houston Rockets game, the two teams faced each other on December 11 in Houston, with the Rockets winning 93-82.
However, it took more than victory for Alperen Segun, who believes he could have played better against Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama.
In that game, he recorded 15 points (6-12 on field goals), nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in 30 minutes.
It was a decent stat line, but more was needed for the Rockets big man, who used that performance as motivation en route to his career-high 45-point game against Wembanyama.
“Yes, of course,” he said. “You know, I didn’t play such a good last game against him.”
In addition to his 45 points, Sengun had a career-high 16 rebounds and five steals. He also had 33 points heading into the fourth quarter.
It was the second time a Rocket recorded at least 45 points, 15 rebounds and five steals in a single game.
“I didn’t see a lot of double-teaming; they (San Antonio) just left me one-on-one with Wemby (Wembanyama), and then I did what I do.”
Sengun threw his body at Wemby throughout the game to minimize any attempts to have his shot blocked by the NBA’s block shooting leader.
“He’s so big, really. He’s really big, but he’s not that strong yet, so I would go into his chest and put him under the rim,” Sengun said. “They didn’t double me much tonight, so I worked under the rim.”
It also helped Sengun that Wemby had foul trouble throughout the game. He committed four fouls and played just six minutes in the second and four in the third period.
The Spurs center also suffered a left shoulder injury that may have impacted him against Houston.
However, it is worth noting that Wembanyama had another double-double and continued to make NBA history against Houston despite having an off night for his standards.
He had 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks (five on Sengun) against the Rockets and has recorded at least four blocks in the last seven games. This streak is the longest by a rookie since Shaquille O’Neal’s 10-game stretch from 12/1 to 12/22/92.
The good news is that Wembanyama and the Spurs won’t have to wait too long to get some revenge against Sengun and the Rockets.
The Spurs and Rockets meet March 12 in San Antonio, where Houston is well below .500 on the road.
