By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Getting back on track, the Houston Rockets overpowered the Los Angeles Clippers, 117-106, in Intuit Dome.
Following the NBA Sundays contest, head coach Ime Udoka commented on the overall approach of Alperen Sengun and shared some suggestions for the 22-year-old Turkish center.
“My thing is to concentrate on the things you can control, which is looking to score and not looking to get fouled as much. Playing through contact and not looking for a call or letting missed shots affect you on the other end,” he mentioned during the postgame press conference, “They went after him tonight anytime he had it in the post and he found guys and that was the reason we had those wide-open looks. So, some nights it’s going to be a scoring thing, some nights it’s going to be facilitating and he has to be able to do both.”
Playing 36 minutes on Sunday, Sengun posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double alongside six assists. He connected 4/9 from the field.
“My biggest thing with him is, I say to him, ‘Don’t get the European out of your game. Play through stuff. Stop crying,’” added Udoka using his European experience from playing days.
The Rockets improved to 16-8 and pushed the Clippers to 14-11 in the 2024-25 Regular Season.
Starting opposite Sengun, Croatian Ivica Zubac produced a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double plus two blocks and one assist over 36 minutes. In just under 26 minutes, French Nicolas Batum had four rebounds and one assist.