Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant tallied 33 points apiece to fuel the Houston Rockets to a 108-99 comeback victory at home over the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Sengun added nine rebounds and six assists to his ledger, and almost singlehandedly orchestrated the Rockets’ fourth-quarter rally after the Grizzlies led by as much as 10 points in the third. Sengun scored twice in the paint around a Dorian Finney-Smith 3-pointer, and his transition dunk at the 9:53 mark provided the Rockets with an 85-79 lead.
Sengun later assisted on an Amen Thompson dunk before adding a nifty pass to Josh Okogie that resulted in another layup. Sengun recorded another dunk, a layup, and assists on two Durant 3s. Durant misfired twice from deep before connecting for a 104-95 lead with 1:32 left.
Sengun shot 15 of 17 from the floor and missed just once inside the arc. Durant started 0 for 3 from deep before hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers to find his stride. Durant grabbed eight rebounds.
Tari Eason added 17 points and seven boards from Houston. Thompson had eight points, eight rebounds, and a career-high 14 assists.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama totaled 17 points and seven rebounds each to pace Memphis, which counted Ja Morant and Zach Edey among its missing. GG Jackson added 14 points off the bench.
The Rockets’ fast start fizzled quickly following a barrage of errant 3-pointers. Eason finished 3 for 4 from behind the arc in the opening quarter, and he played a key role in Houston establishing a nine-point lead.
Excluding Eason, the Rockets finished 0 for 9 from deep in the first quarter, and Memphis, keyed by two late 3s from Olivier-Maxence Prosper, carried a 24-23 lead into the second. The Grizzlies seized upon the Rockets’ lackadaisical ball-handling, converting three early turnovers into five points. When Jackson converted a missed shot into a dunk, the Grizzlies led 38-33.
Houston erased that deficit with a 6-0 spurt, only for the Grizzlies to reply with a 7-0 rally. Jabari Smith Jr. nailed a pair of 3-pointers to stem the tide for the Rockets, but the Grizzlies carried a 54-51 lead into the intermission thanks in part to Houston missing 15 of 20 3-pointers in the half.
