Sengun's Near-Triple-Double Powers Houston Past Atlanta, 120-110
Alperen Sengun posted 29 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 steals as Houston pulled away from Atlanta for a 120-110 win. That stat line isn't a misprint — six steals from a center is the kind of performance that makes you stop scrolling.
The first quarter was a street fight. Houston jumped out 4-0 on an Amen Thompson alley-oop dunk off a Sengun feed and a Jabari Smith Jr. running dunk, but Atlanta refused to fold. Jalen Johnson hit a 25-foot three, Onyeka Okongwu answered a Houston run with his own 25-footer, and the Hawks actually clawed ahead 20-17 midway through the period. The lead kept changing hands — Houston went up 25-24 on a Tari Eason and-one layup, Atlanta tied it, Houston went back up, Atlanta tied it again. By the time Kingston Flemings hit a driving layup with 31 seconds left in the first, the Hawks led 35-32. They pushed it to 38-32 early in the second on back-to-back Jock Landale buckets. On paper, Atlanta looked like the team in control.
They weren't. Houston's closing run through the middle quarters — fueled by Sengun's relentless creation and Kevin Durant's 22 points and 4 blocks — flipped the script entirely. The decisive moment came in the fourth quarter: Reed Sheppard drained a 25-foot three-pointer off a Jabari Smith Jr. assist at the 9:03 mark, swinging Houston's win probability from 67% to 76%. That nine-point swing was the dagger. Smith Jr. finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and the Rockets' frontcourt depth simply wore Atlanta down over 48 minutes.
For Atlanta, Johnson (21 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast) and CJ McCollum (20 pts, 3 stl) gave the Hawks everything they had, but it wasn't enough against a Houston team that looks — and this is opinion — like it has found a genuine offensive identity around Sengun as the hub. Durant's 4 blocks alongside his scoring kept Atlanta's driving lanes honest, and Amen Thompson's 15 points provided the energy burst Houston needed off the bench of possessions. Sean Pedulla was listed as a DNP — coach's decision — for Houston. The story of the night, though, belongs entirely to Sengun: 29-9-9 with 6 steals is the kind of line that ages well in a season-highlight reel.