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Alperen Sengun turned a postgame press conference into a statement about belief, resilience and responsibility after the Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-96 in Game 4 on Sunday night at Toyota Center. The Rockets avoided elimination and cut the series deficit to 3-1.
Before the game, Sengun delivered a speech at shootaround that he said was meant to change the energy around the team. “I didn’t give up on this series,” he said, adding, “I just wanted to let everybody know… I just want to do something different.”
He said the message connected. “I’m glad it worked and everybody came out to play today,” Sengun said. “Hopefully everybody mindset has changed going to the fifth game.”
Sengun also addressed the flagrant foul from Deandre Ayton that sent the Lakers center out of the game in the third quarter. “I don’t want to make the officials crazy,” he said, but added that he thought the play was “a little bit soft.”
On the actual contact, Sengun kept the focus on basketball and his own approach to the moment. “They were telling me like, you go on the floor every time, but you didn’t go this time,” he said. “I said, I’m not going to floor today. I’m not going to floor today. I’ll die over here, but not give up on everything.”
Houston had lost Game 3 in heartbreaking fashion, and Sengun said that made Friday’s sting even sharper. “Losing last game hurt, to be honest,” he said. “We got that game and then we just give it to them. Gift.”
That response carried into Game 4, where the Rockets’ full roster made an impact. “We need everybody on this team,” Sengun said. “Not couple guys, not five guys. We need all 12 guys.”
He stressed that the team’s effort has to come from every part of the roster, even players who do not play big minutes. “Even the guys in the bench, we need everybody,” Sengun said. “Everybody job is hard in this team.”
Sengun also explained how the Rockets are trying to solve the Lakers’ pressure defense. “Knowing my spacing, knowing where Marcus and Bron needs me to set screens,” he said, pointing to the need for consistency and detail in Game 5.
The Rockets’ center, who posted 19 points in the win, also made clear that he sees the team’s long rebuild as part of the payoff. “We’re a great team,” Sengun said. “We’re a really good team but we just got to be focus a little bit more the details we working on.”
