The Rockets are set to face the Lakers in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs. Alperen Sengun, the Rockets’ All-Star, spoke to the media before the series began and addressed the upcoming matchup.
“We already know [that] we’re ready for these matchups. We’ve been working, you know, we kind of know them. We played them this season; their players are out. So, we already know they’re going to be more aggressive.”
“They’re going to be freer to play, and we all know it’s going to be a hard game and a hard matchup in LA. A lot of fans are going to be out there, so we just have to be ready and bring the physicality right from the beginning,” said Sengun on the feeling within the Rockets’ franchise heading on the road to LA.
Houston lost the season series 1-2 to LA. The Rockets began with a win over them on Christmas, but suffered consecutive defeats to the Lakers in March.
But considering that the Lakers are not expecting to have Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves at any point in the first round, the Rockets, despite being confident, also expect the Lakers to play like they have nothing left to lose, which arguably makes them more dangerous.
Sengun went on to talk about the Rockets’ previous playoff experience against the Warriors and how it has prepared them to be better in the postseason.
“I would say we had one of the best first playoff experiences ever. We played one of the teams playing in the finals, and have been in the playoffs for years, and we brought the game into the seventh. And you know we played really well, and they were a really good team.”
“It was the physicality playing against Draymond, it was just amazing and taught me a lot, and you know these matchups now, I know what I’m going to do. Going out there, I can’t just be soft. I’m going over there to dominate it, just the mental matters a lot,” concluded Sengun.
Through the two games that he played against the Lakers, Sengun averaged 20.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists while shooting 68.0% from the field. Considering Sengun did not play in one of the losses and struggled to score on Christmas Day, these averages are still impressive.
But they do not reflect the ‘dominance’ that is needed from a skilled player of Sengun’s caliber. Therefore, Sengun will have to lock in and not let this series go beyond five games to prove if he can indeed ‘dominate’ a depleted team in the playoffs.
Alperen Sengun Reflects On Lessons From Kevin Durant This Season
One of the key differences in last season’s playoff run and this season is having Kevin Durant on the team. The 18-year NBA veteran took on the leadership role with this team after joining them this season, and now, with his ‘legacy on the line,’ he has made a lot of difference in the culture and offensive systems of the team.
Sengun spoke about the experience of having Durant as a teammate throughout the season and revealed what he has learned from the 37-year-old veteran.
“I learned a lot of things, like staying strong mentally. I don’t really care that much as I used to about missing shots. You know, I used to care a lot when I used to miss shots. So, when I miss shots now, he’s already screaming in my ear, ‘it’s going to come.'”
“So, I will say a lot of things, but you know, one of those things is confidence. Yeah. Especially confidence. He talks to me all the time. So, you know, if I don’t play well, if I miss shots, he’s just always right behind me, whispering in my ear, telling me ‘you’re going to be good.’ So yeah, just confidence, man. That’s what I would say,” concluded Sengun.
The duo of Durant and Sengun is the main concern on the offensive end for the Lakers heading into Game 1. LeBron James spoke about the impact of Kevin Durant and also mentioned how Sengun would be an equally critical contributor for the Rockets.
“Just another great player on the floor,” said James about Sengun. “They possess some really damn good players out on the floor. And we have to be ready for all of them, you know, from KD to Sengun, Thompson twin, Jabari Smith, you know, Eason, Sheppard. I mean, everyone who goes on the floor is a threat. We have to be ready for it,” said James during his media scrum ahead of the series.
The Rockets are now headed to Los Angeles for Game 1 of this playoff series on Saturday, April 18. While most eyes will be on Durant and James, Sengun could be the X-factor for the Rockets that makes the difference.
It will be interesting to see if the Lakers manage to pull off a surprising win to make it a competitive series or if most of the sportsbooks in the country are correct about the Rockets potentially sweeping this series.
