Two nights after Rockets head coach Stephen Silas slammed the postgame podium in frustration over Houston’s lack of effort, his team didn’t get the win they wanted in a 130-128 home loss (box score) to Sacramento. A controversial last-second call decided that.
However, despite blowing a 5-point lead over the final 70 seconds, the collective effort by the Rockets was much improved — and particularly for two of Houston’s critical young building blocks.
Jalen Green came up one point shy of his career-high in scoring, finishing with 41 points on blistering 14-of-22 shooting efficiency (63.6%) and 6-of-9 on 3-pointers (66.7%). He went to the free-throw line nine times on Wednesday night, making seven of those (77.8%).
Meanwhile, fellow second-year prospect Alperen Sengun had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and a career-high 11 assists. The Turkish big man hit 7-of-11 shots (63.6%), 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%), and often served as a facilitator from the high post while finding Green on cuts inside.
In the end, it was perhaps the most frustrating loss of the season for the Rockets (13-42), who still own the NBA’s worst record. On the other side, the Kings (31-23) showed why they remain in the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference. Yet, once the sting subsides, there was clearly lots to like when it came to Houston’s top young talents.
Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interview reaction. Next up for Houston is the start of a three-game road trip on Friday night in Miami, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Central.
4⃣1⃣ POINTS TONIGHT FOR #Rockets @JalenGreen @HoustonRockets on AT&T SportsNet pic.twitter.com/MSHOMn88Lo
— AT&T SportsNet™ | SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) February 9, 2023
#Rockets Alperen Sengun tonight vs Kings@alperennsengun 🏀18 PTS🏀11 AST🏀9 REB🏀@HoustonRockets on AT&T SportsNet pic.twitter.com/EN2QoA00sP
— AT&T SportsNet™ | SW (@ATTSportsNetSW) February 9, 2023
Alperen Sengun on being subbed out for a possession late in the second quarter:
"He [Silas] was mad at me. He was right. He wake me up. He put me in the game again after that. It was my fault. I was a little confused." pic.twitter.com/X2st9q5Cta
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) February 9, 2023
Stephen Silas: “Very, very disappointing. We fought. We did all the things we talked about. We played with more conviction, physicality, ball pressure and we should’ve won the game.” pic.twitter.com/oqWLTpabd2
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) February 9, 2023
Jalen Green his last 11 games is averaging 24.9 points per game on 62.9% TS
— Nathan Fogg (@NathanFogg1) February 9, 2023
The most 40 point games by players 20 or younger in NBA History:
8 — LeBron James
5 — Anthony Edwards
4 — Jalen Green, Durant, Luka pic.twitter.com/59HKbZMGgL— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) February 9, 2023
Anyways I’ve seen the future and it looks like Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun dominating games together on offense
— Roosh (@RooshWilliams) February 9, 2023
If you’re a fan of the tank, tonight was the perfect game.
Jalen Green dropped 40, Alperen Sengun set a career-high in assists, the team fought hard until the buzzer, and the #Rockets add another L to their Wemby/Scoot quest.
I’m not mad at all tonight.
— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) February 9, 2023
This is the combination right here. Alperen Sengun dimes up Jalen Green who finishes with a ferocious slam. 😤 pic.twitter.com/kRnVUE0erA
— V̷a̷t̷o̷r̷ (@Vator_H_Town) February 9, 2023
