Rockets Alperen Sengun Says It Was A Great Moment Dueling Lakers LeBron James
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LeBron James and Alperen Sengun took a moment to embrace each other with a brief dap midway through the fourth quarter.
"To play against LeBron is everyone's dream," Sengun said. "You watched him as a kid and played with him in 2K. Ten years later, I'm going to tell my kids, I played against him. It was just a great moment."
Sengun said he came into the game feeling good. He had extra motivation, given that playing against the Los Angeles Lakers meant having a chance to go head-to-head against a pair of future Hall-of-Famers — James and Russell Westbrook.
His emotions led to a memorable night when the Houston Rockets closed their four-game California road trip inside Crypto.com Arena.
Sengun set a career-high in points on Monday. He scored a team-best 33 points (14-of-17 FG, 2-2 3PT) while recording his 22nd career double-double with 15 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.
But James outdueled the second-year prospect from Turkey to hand the Rockets a 140-132 loss, which extended their losing streak to 11.
The 38-year-old future Hall-of-Famer scored a season-high 48 points on 16-of-26 shooting, 5-of-10 from deep, marking the fifth time he scored 30 or more points since his birthday on Dec. 30.
James added to his stat line by recording nine assists, eight rebounds and zero turnovers. But his most noteworthy impact came in the final period when he picked up the defensive assignment to guard Sengun.
"Everything was working for him," coach Stephen Silas said. "It was the post-ups. The pick-and-rolls. He was really good in the pocket...If he continues to stay aggressive like he was, it will be hard not to give him the ball."
Silas described Sengun's performance as sensational. The Lakers had no answer for Houston's big man. He was dominant with his scoring and facilitating from the inside, with Thomas Bryant as his primary defender.
When Bryant sagged off Sengun to limit his post-up play, he drilled the first of two triples with 6 minutes and 50 seconds left in the second quarter following a lucky bounce off the back iron.
Sengun revealed that he heard James tell Bryant, "I'm going to guard him," during the fourth quarter and shared that they trash-talked each other down the stretch. But Silas acknowledged that James' defensive physicality limited Sengun's late-game production.
"At his age, he [James] made every big play," Silas said. "But what hurt us was the rhythm 3's that he was making. I've seen him have some really good games before, but this is in the top-five for sure."
Sengun was one of several young players cherishing the moment going up against James this late into his career.
Jabari Smith Jr., who tallied 14 points in the loss, shared that his dad, Jabari Smith Sr, was on the Sacramento Kings' roster the night James made his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.
Every young player within the Rockets' locker room has showcased their appreciation growing up watching James from afar. And after a 48-point performance, players like Sengun cannot wait to share their experiences playing against the soon-to-be NBA's All-Time scoring leader.
"We could not stop him tonight — he was really good," Sengun said. "It was just a great moment. That's all I can say. It's a great moment for everyone."
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24
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