How Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun Did in the All-Star Game

The NBA All-Star Game took place on Sunday evening at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles in a showdown between Team USA and Team World. While Houston Rockets players have not made many appearances in the game over the past few seasons, that changed this year.

Both superstar forward Kevin Durant and young star center Alperen Sengun were named All-Stars this year, making them the first Rockets All-Star duo since James Harden and Russell Westbrook in 2020.

KD averages 25.8 points per game along with 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He is shooting 51% from the field and 40% from three, along with 88% from the free throw line. It was a well-deserved All-Star reserve spot for the 19-year veteran who is still one of the best scorers in the game.

This was Durant’s 16th All-Star season, ranked fourth all-time. KD is leading this team from the front, and his special efforts this season have kept the Rockets in fourth in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, the Türkiye native Sengun was added as an All-Star reserve earlier in February due to the injury of reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the OKC Thunder. This was Sengun’s second All-Star selection after earning one last season. It has been an up-and-down season for Alpi due to a couple of injuries, but he still has All-Star numbers of 20.7 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 6.3 APG while shooting 49.7% from the field.

In a viral moment earlier last week, Durant called out the Team World players such as Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic for their lack of effort in previous editions of the All-Star Game. He was asked about the effort players put in and mentioned it’s not just on the old-heads to play hard in the game.

It looks like KD may have gotten his wish. While Doncic and Jokic hardly played, the other stars on all the teams seemed to have brought energy to the game. Players were getting fouled, and defense was being played.

The entertainment value for the average fan was higher in this game, and it will be interesting to see if the NBA sticks with this format going forward. It brought out some of the best in the NBA’s biggest stars.

All-Star Game Recap

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant — Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team USA Stripes forward Kevin Durant (7) of the Houston Rockets shoots over Team USA Stars center Jalen Duren (0) of the Detroit Pistons in game four during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

First up was Sengun in Team World vs Team Stars. Sengun got in the first game of the evening around the six-minute mark off the bench. He fired a nice pass to Siakam for an easy layup. He got a rebound on a possession and fired a long pass down the court for an easy layup.

The World went up 26-17; however, the team was not able to finish the job and lost 37-35 as The Stars made a comeback led by Anthony Edwards. Sengun had three rebounds and two assists off the bench in three minutes of action.

Next up, Team Stars stayed on the floor as the veteran Team Stripes with Durant played their first game.

LeBron James found Durant for the opening 3-pointer of the game. Durant then missed a second three that was wide open.

KD was able to get to his spot for a midrange jumper. KD and Team Stripes found a 42-40 win against Team Stars thanks to De’Aaron Fox’s game-winning 3-pointer. Durant ended up with five points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 10 minutes.

KD and Team Stripes continued action, this time against Team World for a chance at the championship game.

Durant hit another patented midrange early in his second game. KD attacked against Victor Wembanyama and got a layup to go after Wemby scored over him on the previous possession. In this game, Sengun and KD faced each other, and Durant even played defense on Sengun. Durant hit a critical 3-pointer for Team Stripes at the top of the key right at the buzzer on a last-second pass from Jaylen Brown.

Sengun got hit in the face by Brown and attempted a couple of free throws. Team World was unable to advance to the final as Durant and Team Stripes won 48-45. Durant had seven points, one rebound, and one assist in the full 12 minutes. Meanwhile, Sengun just had one point, one rebound, and two assists in just six minutes.

The championship game with Durant’s Team Stripes against Team Stars was a complete blowout in favor of the young guys, 47-21. Durant was scoreless in six minutes.

Sengun and especially 37-year-old Durant will get some much-needed rest over the next few days before the Rockets pick up action for the stretch run of the season on Thursday in Charlotte against the Hornets.