Alperen Şengün delivered a milestone performance and helped ignite a second-half surge as the Houston Rockets rolled past the Sacramento Kings 121-95 on Wednesday night.
Şengün finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds, crossing the 5,000-point mark in his NBA career, while Amen Thompson added 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in one of Houston’s most complete outings of the season.
Kevin Durant supplied 24 points and eight assists as the Rockets shook off a sluggish start and seized control after halftime.
Sacramento briefly pushed ahead 63-57 early in the third quarter, matching its largest lead of the night, before Houston buried the Kings with a 21-3 run that broke the game open.
Şengün, Thompson and Durant scored the first six points of the surge, which also featured powerful dunks from Durant and Jabari Smith Jr., who added 14 points and eight rebounds, and a second-chance finish from Steven Adams, who contributed 11 points and eight boards off the bench.
Durant capped the run with a three-point play that lifted Houston to a 78-66 advantage, a lead that grew steadily as the Rockets dictated every phase of the game.
Houston dominated physically, overwhelming Sacramento 62-32 on the glass, pounding out a 78-46 advantage in paint points and racing to a 30-7 margin in fast-break scoring.
The Rockets shot 13 of 26 in the third quarter and hit 10 of 11 free throws, turning a one-point halftime deficit into a runaway win that pushed their record to 14 victories on the season.
Rookie Maxime Raynaud carried Sacramento early and finished with a career-high 25 points, matching Malik Monk’s team-best total. Precious Achiuwa added 10 points, while DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook scored 12 apiece; Westbrook also handed out nine assists.
Playing without Domantas Sabonis (knee) and Dennis Schroder (hip), the Kings slipped to their 17th loss despite a promising start.
Raynaud scored 12 points in the opening quarter as Sacramento battled through six turnovers to keep it close at 28-26. DeRozan helped the Kings regain momentum in the second period, dropping 10 points and drilling a corner jumper that sent Sacramento into halftime with a 52-51 lead.
Houston’s response after the break proved decisive, and the Rockets never allowed the shorthanded Kings to reestablish rhythm.
By the fourth quarter, Houston’s size, pace and depth overwhelmed Sacramento, sealing a comfortable victory on a night that belonged to Şengün’s milestone and the Rockets’ dominant interior display.
In other action across the league, Jamal Murray erupted for 52 points as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Indiana Pacers 135-120 on the road.
Nikola Jokic added 24 points and 13 assists for Denver, which secured its 15th win of the season.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 23 points, while Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin each scored 16 and 15 as the Pacers dropped their 18th game.
Elsewhere in the NBA, San Antonio edged Orlando 114-112, Portland topped Cleveland 122-110, the Clippers beat Atlanta 115-92, New York defeated Charlotte 119-104, Brooklyn outlasted Chicago 113-103, Milwaukee slipped past Detroit 113-109, and Dallas handled Miami 118-108.
