With Turkish sensation Alperen Şengün main the cost, the Houston Rockets muscled previous the Golden State Warriors 106-96 on Sunday night time, snapping an eight-year street drought at Chase Center and planting a daring flag within the Western Conference playoff race.
Şengün placed on a clinic within the paint, posting a thunderous 19-point, 14-rebound double-double, including 4 assists and a steal in a sport the place finesse met fireplace.
But it wasn’t simply his numbers – it was the perspective.
When Warriors veteran Draymond Green tried to bait him early, Şengün hit again more durable: drawing contact, ending robust, and letting Golden State know the brand new period wasn’t going to flinch.
“That and-one after Draymond’s tech? That was the turning point,” Rockets ahead Dillon Brooks stated. “Alpi sent a message.”
Houston trailed by six after a sluggish first quarter the place they went 0-for-6 from deep. But the tide shifted within the second, due to scrappy play, bench firepower, and defensive grit.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Aaron Holiday nailed clutch threes, whereas Şengün’s relentless rebounding helped the Rockets claw again and take a one-point lead into halftime – regardless of a Curry triple and missed free throws on the buzzer.
Şengün’s night time wasn’t with out bruises.
He took an elbow to the mouth from Green within the third – a Flagrant 1 foul – however stood tall, igniting a 3rd quarter surge.
As Green sat, Houston seized momentum. They pressured turnovers, ran in transition, and dominated the boards. By the top of the third, the Rockets led 83-76.
The fourth was a showcase of Houston’s maturity. Amen Thompson clamped down on Steph Curry, holding the sharpshooter to only 1-for-10 within the last body. Jalen Green dropped 10 of his 21 factors within the clutch, whereas Jabari Smith Jr. added 16 factors and 9 boards off the bench.
Golden State, ice-cold from deep and rattled by 20 turnovers, had no solutions. Draymond Green’s night time ended with a quiet “triple-single” – 1 level, 5 boards, 5 fouls – and Steve Kerr pulled his starters with below two minutes to go.
For Houston, it was extra than simply their 52nd win – it was an announcement. The Rockets hadn’t crushed the Warriors on the street since 2016. Now, they sit agency within the West’s second seed, staring down a seismic Friday conflict with the Lakers in Los Angeles.
But tonight belonged to Alperen Şengün – the anchor, the agitator, and the reply.
Houston subsequent takes on the Clippers on Wednesday, with eyes locked on conserving the momentum – and the message – alive.
Source: www.dailysabah.com