The Houston Rockets, led by 22-year-old Turkish star Alperen Şengün, silenced the Toyota Center on Sunday with 119-116 over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Şengün fell only one help shy of a triple-double, ending with 20 factors, 14 rebounds and 9 assists in almost 38 minutes of play.
His stellar efficiency, alongside Fred VanVleet’s 38-point explosion, proved pivotal within the Rockets’ fifteenth win of the season.
Oklahoma City’s efforts, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributing 32 factors, Jalen Williams including 22, and Isaiah Hartenstein pitching in with 19, weren’t sufficient to beat Houston’s late surge.
The victory pulls the Rockets even with the Thunder within the standings, with Oklahoma City nonetheless holding one recreation in hand.
Mitchell’s late surge
In a vital Eastern Conference showdown, the Cleveland Cavaliers mounted a exceptional comeback to beat the Boston Celtics 115-111 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Trailing 84-72 getting into the fourth quarter, Cleveland relied on Donovan Mitchell’s explosive scoring to safe the win.
Mitchell completed with 35 factors, whereas Darius Garland chipped in with 22.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 factors, however regardless of sturdy performances from Payton Pritchard (24 factors) and Kristaps Porzingis (21 factors), Boston couldn’t maintain off Cleveland’s late rally.
The Cavs’ win pushes them to an 18-6 file, whereas the Celtics drop to 16-7.
Other NBA outcomes:
Memphis Grizzlies 136, Indiana Pacers 121
Brooklyn Nets 92, Orlando Magic 100
New York Knicks 118, New Orleans Pelicans 85
Toronto Raptors 119, Miami Heat 116
Utah Jazz 104, Los Angeles Lakers 105
Portland Trail Blazers 131, Dallas Mavericks 137
Sacramento Kings 125, San Antonio Spurs 127
Los Angeles Clippers 126, Denver Nuggets 122
Source: www.dailysabah.com