Rockets Fall To Kings, Sengun Scores 30

The Houston Rockets lost to the Sacramento Kings 113-103. Alperen Sengun scored 30 points, leading the way for Houston. Jalen Green had 24 of his own.

Houston got off to a slow start, as Sacramento started the game up 12-3 before Ime Udoka called a timeout with 7:43 left to play in the first quarter. The Rockets started 1-for-8 in this stretch compared to the Kings' 5-for-6. Alperen Sengun led the team on an 18-6 run to close the quarter. He had 10 points in 10 minutes, and Houston trailed 25-21 at the end of the first 12 minutes. Domantas Sabonis hurt his hamstring during the second possession of the game and did not return in the period.

Dillon Brooks gave the Rockets a three-point lead just under nine minutes into the second quarter after a lot of back-and-forth buckets with the Kings. After starting missing seven threes to start the game, Houston ended the half with seven made, helping them stay in the game. Sacramento ended the first half up 63-59. Sengun ended the first half with 17 points and Zach Lavine scored 13. Jonas Valanciunas stepped up big for the Kings, scoring 11 off of the bench in 14 minutes.

Sacramento held control throughout the entire third period. Every time that Houston would make a bucket, Sacramento would follow, allowing no slack for the Rockets to come back. However, they were able to cut the lead down to two points but were never able to gain a lead or even tie the game. The Rockets did not score in the last three minutes, and they only shot 42% from the field compared to the Kings' 52%. Sengun scored nine points in the quarter.

Shooting was the name of the game for the Rockets, and poor shooting in the fourth quarter told the story. They shot 39% from the field in the last 12 minutes and just 43% from the field in the game. The Kings shot 50.6% from the field, and also dominated points in the paint with 58, compared to Houston's 44.

The Rockets battle the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday at Paycom Center. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. CST.

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