Alperen Sengun delivered a dominant performance Monday night, matching his season high with 39 points as the short-handed Houston Rockets held off the Indiana Pacers 118-114 for their third straight victory.
With All-Star forward Kevin Durant sidelined after spraining his left ankle and center Steven Adams already lost for the season following ankle surgery, Sengun carried the load. He shot 13 of 25 from the field, went 13 of 18 at the free-throw line and pulled down 16 rebounds, scoring eight of his free throws in the fourth quarter to steady Houston down the stretch. Jabari Smith Jr. chipped in 19 points as the Rockets won their fifth game in six outings and their third straight on the road.
Indiana was led by All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, who finished with 27 points, while Bennedict Mathurin added 25. The Pacers rallied from a 12-point third-quarter deficit and briefly grabbed the lead late in the period, but couldn’t quite push their winning streak to three.
The Pacers controlled much of the first half before Houston surged late, closing on a 17-4 run. A potential buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Siakam was waved off after replay review, sending Indiana into halftime trailing 63-56.
Houston extended its advantage early in the third quarter with a 12-5 run, but Indiana answered with nine straight points and briefly went back in front on a fast-break finish by Siakam with 2:27 left in the period. The game stayed tight until Sengun’s work at the foul line sparked a decisive 12-2 Rockets run that pushed the lead to 109-101 with under five minutes remaining.
Up next:
The Rockets return home to host Boston on Wednesday night, while the Pacers stay in Indianapolis to face Utah on Tuesday night.
