The Houston Rockets, led by 22-year-old Turkish star Alperen Şengün, silenced the Toyota Center on Sunday with 119-116 over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Şengün fell just one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in nearly 38 minutes of play.
His stellar performance, alongside Fred VanVleet’s 38-point explosion, proved pivotal in the Rockets’ 15th win of the season.
Oklahoma City’s efforts, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributing 32 points, Jalen Williams adding 22, and Isaiah Hartenstein pitching in with 19, were not enough to overcome Houston’s late surge.
The victory pulls the Rockets even with the Thunder in the standings, with Oklahoma City still holding one game in hand.
Mitchell’s late surge
In a crucial Eastern Conference showdown, the Cleveland Cavaliers mounted a remarkable comeback to beat the Boston Celtics 115-111 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Trailing 84-72 entering the fourth quarter, Cleveland relied on Donovan Mitchell’s explosive scoring to secure the win.
Mitchell finished with 35 points, while Darius Garland chipped in with 22.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points, but despite strong performances from Payton Pritchard (24 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (21 points), Boston couldn’t hold off Cleveland’s late rally.
The Cavs’ win pushes them to an 18-6 record, while the Celtics drop to 16-7.
Other NBA results:
Memphis Grizzlies 136, Indiana Pacers 121
Brooklyn Nets 92, Orlando Magic 100
New York Knicks 118, New Orleans Pelicans 85
Toronto Raptors 119, Miami Heat 116
Utah Jazz 104, Los Angeles Lakers 105
Portland Trail Blazers 131, Dallas Mavericks 137
Sacramento Kings 125, San Antonio Spurs 127
Los Angeles Clippers 126, Denver Nuggets 122