SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fred VanVleet scored 22 points, Jalen Green added 19 and Houston beat the Sacramento Kings 112-104 on Sunday after the Rockets lost leading scorer Alperen Sengun to a right knee injury.
Sengun landed awkwardly while contesting a shot from the Kings’ Domantas Sabonis with less than a minute remaining in the fourth. Sengun appeared to be in immediate distress and he left the field in a wheelchair after several minutes on the baseline, his hands covering his face.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said after the game that Sengun was getting an X-ray and would “know more shortly.” ESPN reported that Sengun will undergo an MRI on his left knee and ankle on Monday.
“It doesn’t diminish the victory in general,” Udoka said. “I think it was one of our best road wins. He played a big role in that.
Sengun, 21, who was averaging 14 points before his injury, is averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game in his third season.
“Injuries are part of the game,” VanVleet said. “We all understand that when we signed up, but it’s always tough to see your teammates fall, especially the kids who haven’t really experienced that before.”
Seven players finished in double figures for the Rockets, who have won four of five as they look to advance to the play-in tournament. Houston is now 4 1/2 games back from the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Sabonis led the Kings with 25 points and 15 rebounds.
Sacramento cut its 17-point lead to five late in the fourth quarter, but Houston held off a late surge, with Green hitting a three to extend the lead to eight with less than a minute to play. Green had missed all five of his 3-point attempts before shooting.
“I knew I was taking this one, because I missed (a previous attempt),” Green said. “I really wanted this one.”
The Rockets took control in the third quarter, going on a 13-0 run and taking advantage of five straight Kings turnovers to take an 86-73 lead into the fourth quarter. Sengun had eight points in the quarter and the Kings held the Rockets to just 14 points and four field goals.
De’Aaron Fox had 18 points, but the Kings star was limited to 7 of 21 shooting.
“If we make shots, it will probably look like a different game,” Fox said. “I had a lot of opportunities that I usually create and they just weren’t taken.”
Houston swept the Kings this season, also beating Sacramento in back-to-back home games in November. The Rockets had lost four of the last five games to the Kings on the road. They have now won a season-high three straight on the road.
Sacramento fell to seventh in the West, entering the game tied with Phoenix for last place to avoid the play-in tournament. Sabonis said the Rockets were more physical than the Kings.
“That’s what we’re going to see in the playoffs,” Sabonis said. “It’s obviously a good thing to play against a team like that, but we have to learn to play against those kinds of teams and not just give in.”
The Rockets trailed by 13 points in the first half, but finished on a 13-5 run to cut the deficit to 59-54 at halftime, with VanVleet scoring back-to-back points.
FOLLOWING
Rockets: At San Antonio Tuesday night.
Kings: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
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