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Alperen Sengun emphasized urgency and patience after the Houston Rockets fell into a 2-0 series deficit, stating, “You just need to protect home court. We needed to win today, but it happens. Long series, so hopefully we protect home and come back here for game five.”
The Rockets dropped Game 2 on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, losing 101-94 to the Los Angeles Lakers as LeBron James led a balanced home performance with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Houston now turns to Game 3 in Houston with the series shifting momentum.
Sengun, who finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, was direct about his offensive responsibility, saying, “I definitely need to be aggressive when I have the ball in the middle. I’m just missing so many easy shots.”
He expanded on his role inside the paint, adding, “I need to get back to who I am and dominate the paint when I have the ball, help KD a little bit, and make my teammates better. For sure.”
Despite Houston’s overall shooting struggles, Sengun insisted the issue was not opportunity creation but execution. “I’m trying to be aggressive actually, but I’m just missing the easy shots. I’m trying not to think about it. I’m still shooting it no matter what. I just got to make them.”
He added clarity on his finishing concerns under pressure, saying, “I just need to make those. I’ve been making those shots the whole year.”
The Rockets center also addressed Houston’s offensive structure alongside Kevin Durant, stating, “Offensively, we got to give the ball to KD where he can score. But those are things we’re going to talk through in the meeting with the team.”
Durant was limited to 23 points with heavy defensive attention from the Lakers, who repeatedly collapsed into aggressive schemes. Sengun described those adjustments, noting, “They’re kind of risking the corner threes. I think we got a lot of wide open shots today.”
Houston shot 40.4% from the field and made just seven threes, while Los Angeles responded with key perimeter production from Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard, who combined for 48 points.
Sengun also pointed to defensive challenges created by shot-making swings, saying, “We are a good defensive team. We protect the paint good. But when they make those shots, it’s kind of killing our momentum on offense.”
Looking ahead to Game 3, Sengun focused on collective response and rhythm, stating, “We just need to get back together. If we’re going to lose, we’re going to lose together. If we’re going to win, we’re going to win together.”
He closed with a simple focus on adjustment and execution, saying, “We just need to focus. Everybody’s goal is the same, so we need to not forget that and come back with a different mindset in game three.”
