Is Alperen Sengun playing tonight against the Golden State Warriors? Latest on Rockets star's status (Apr. 23)
Alperen Sengun will be available Wednesday night when the Houston Rockets attempt to tie the series after falling to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series.
Sengun opened his playoff debut with 26 points and nine rebounds, as well as a memorable poster dunk on the Warriors' Draymond Green. The stat line included the most points scored by a center on their playoff debut.
However, the two-seeded Rockets still managed to fall to the seventh-seeded Warriors. According to the NBA Injury Report, Sengun will be active for game two as the Houston Rockets will only be without Jock Landale, who is out with a right knee contusion, and Jae'Sean Tate, out with a right ankle injury.
Steph Curry and Gary Payton II are both available for Game 2 of the series for the Warriors.
Sengun will be vital to the Houston Rockets' success in a series against Golden State as the Warriors have no one who can deal with the size and power of the 6'11 Turkish center.
Sengun has averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists this season in Houston. He has set career highs in each category except points, as his season average dipped from 21.1 points in 63 games last season.
The Warriors won Game 1, largely due to the standout performances of Curry and Jimmy Butler. The two NBA All-Stars combined for 56 of the team's 95 points in their victory.
Sengun and Rockets' lack of experience hurt team against Golden State
There's no shock that the Warriors found success against the Houston Rockets in the first game of the series. Houston has bright and talented young players, but lacks the playoff experience compared to the Warriors.
The core pieces of Golden State's rotation have been mainstays in the NBA playoffs and finals, even Jimmy Butler, who has only been in Golden State since February.
The Warriors are one of the hottest teams in the league currently, as they closed out the NBA regular season 23-3 and toppled the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament.
The Rockets will have to continue to feed Sengun on the offensive end and find ways to get the ball out of Butler and Curry's hands to be successful in Game 2 on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m.