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Alperen Sengun put up 32 points and teamed up with Kevin Durant (30) as the Houston Rockets fought through a tense second half to beat the Washington Wizards 123-118 in Washington on Monday night.
Houston did not trail after the second quarter and ended up setting the tone with a major rebounding edge, which helped it see the game out despite late pressure.
Houston leaned into physicality and size, finishing with a 59-27 rebounding advantage and piling up 62 points in the paint, compared with Washington’s 40. Sengun also led the game on the glass with 13 rebounds, while Amen Thompson backed the effort up with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Reed Sheppard helped keep the offense ticking over, putting up 19 points and handing out 10 assists.
Washington stayed in touch through perimeter shooting, finishing 19-for-35 from three-point range after ending the first quarter up 30-26 and hitting eight threes early. Bilal Coulibaly led the Wizards with a season-high 23 points and five three-pointers, while Sharife Cooper chipped in 21 points off the bench in 17 minutes.
The contest took a sharper edge midway through the third quarter with Houston up 90-73. Tari Eason twice shoved Wizards forward Jamir Watkins to the floor during sequences that unfolded as both teams moved up and down the court. Eason picked up two technical fouls and was ejected.
Trae Young, a former All-Star, was also thrown out for leaving the bench. Young had announced on Instagram before the game that he would make his Wizards debut on Thursday at home against the Utah Jazz, but he did not stay in the game long enough to see the finish.
Washington trimmed the gap to 11 with 4:17 left, but Houston kept answering back. Durant knocked down three free throws after being fouled, and Sengun followed up with a putback and-one to push the lead to 116-102 with three minutes remaining.
Durant later picked up a technical foul with 29 seconds to go after shoving a Wizards player out of bounds. Washington scored the final eight points, but the Rockets still held on to wrap up the five-point win.
Washington again played without leading scorer Alex Sarr, while Jabari Smith Jr. missed his second straight game for Houston. The Wizards also gave Julian Reese his debut start at center.
Reese, the brother of WNBA star Angel Reese, scored one basket in the third quarter and finished with four rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes before fouling out with 4:17 left.
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