Alperen Sengun led the Rockets to their fifth consecutive win after a 114-104 victory against the Cavaliers. This was a highly anticipated matchup for Rockets fans as Sengun locked horns with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley.
Sengun finished the game with 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while shooting 58.8% from the floor. Mobley ended up with 18 points and six rebounds, while shooting 53.8% from the field.
Following the win, Sengun spoke to the Rockets’ sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson and revealed his feelings on going up against the No. 3 overall pick from the same draft class as him (2021).
“I never back down against anybody. Doesn’t matter, Evan or anybody, best defender in the league. It’s crunch time, I’m going to go to the rim and I’m just going to get my shot, and finish the game,” responded Sengun.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has on several occasions mentioned that Sengun prides himself on going up against the best players on the opposing teams each night. He isn’t scared of going up against the best of the best, like his European counterparts in Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Therefore, he wasn’t worried about going up against Mobley. It is a common discourse among fans on who would be drafted ahead if the 2021 draft class were redrafted today. In my opinion, Sengun proved tonight that it would be him.
But Mobley’s defense, combined with a lethal dose of Donovan Mitchell’s offense throughout the game, has been the recipe for the success of the Cavaliers so far this season.
The Rockets tonight managed to curb that by holding Donovan Mitchell to two points in the first three quarters. But a late 19-point flurry from Mitchell was not enough for the Cavaliers as he ended the night with 21 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while shooting 47.1% from the field.
Sengun also addressed how the Rockets held Donovan Mitchell back in this game and praised his teammate, Amen Thompson, for his defensive prowess on the “superstar.”
“I mean, he’s a superstar, you know? We could hold him till the third quarter, but he came back; that’s what a superstar does. I think Amen did a pretty good job on Donovan tonight,” said Sengun.
The Rockets have improved their season record to 10-3 and are currently the third seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have fallen to 10-6 and are now the third seed in the Eastern Conference after tonight’s game.
