{"id":"1794631277630-sports-segment","slug":"sengun-joins-hakeem-and-yao-in-houston-history","title":"Sengun joins Hakeem and Yao in Houston history","summary":"Alperen Şengün scored 43 points on 17-of-24 shooting with 12 rebounds and 5 assists in Houston's 125-118 win over Utah on Friday, his second career 40-point game. The Rockets said he joined Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming as the only franchise players with 40+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists on 70% shooting since 1956-57.\n\nŞengün exploited Utah's thin center rotation, and with Kevin Durant taking a step back, he has more offensive responsibility. He is shooting well above his career three-point percentage, which may regress, but his overall production is career-best.\n\nAlperen Şengün had 43 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists on 17-of-24 shooting in Houston's 125-118 win over Utah on Friday, and the Rockets say he joined Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) and Yao Ming (2004) as the only franchise players with 40+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists on 70% shooting since 1956-57.\n\nŞengün's 43 points led Houston to an NBA Cup group play win; Kevin Durant had 22 points and 6 assists, Tari Eason 14 and 11, and Darryn Peterson scored a career-high 28.","publishedAt":"2026-11-14T04:41:17.630Z","channel":{"id":"sports","name":"Oncast Sports","language":"en"},"show":"Primetime Sports","verification":{"status":"verified","leadVerdict":"TRUE","notes":"TRUE: Alperen Şengün had 43 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists on 17-of-24 shooting in Houston's 125-118 win over Utah on Friday, and the Rockets say he joined Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) and Yao Ming (2004) as the only franchise players with 40+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists on 70% shooting since 1956-57.\nSource: [nbcsports.com](https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/basketball/player-news/2026-11-13/alperen-sengun-has-his-second-career-40-point-game) NAMES: (none) (https://x.com/NBA/status/2121461368885051615)\n\nTRUE: Şengün's 43 points led Houston to an NBA Cup group play win; Kevin Durant had 22 points and 6 assists, Tari Eason 14 and 11, and Darryn Peterson scored a career-high 28.\nSource: [nba.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1630578/alperen-sengun) NAMES: Darryn Peterson = Houston Rockets player. (https://x.com/NBA/status/2121462288066752738)","claims":[{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Alperen Şengün had 43 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists on 17-of-24 shooting in Houston's 125-118 win over Utah on Friday, and the Rockets say he joined Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) and Yao Ming (2004) as the only franchise players with 40+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists on 70% shooting since 1956-57.","sourceName":"[nbcsports.com](https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/basketball/player-news/2026-11-13/alperen-sengun-has-his-second-career-40-point-game) NAMES: (none)","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/NBA/status/2121461368885051615","claim":"SENGUN JOINED HAKEEM AND YAO IN HOUSTON'S WEST GROUP A WIN! 43 PTS 12 REB 5 AST 17-24 FGM 3rd player in franchise history (joining Hakeem in 1994 and Yao in 2004) to record 40+ PTS, 10+ REB, and 5+ AST on 70%+ FG% since 1956-57, the first season FG% was recorded 🤯 https://t.co/A","author":"@NBA"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Şengün's 43 points led Houston to an NBA Cup group play win; Kevin Durant had 22 points and 6 assists, Tari Eason 14 and 11, and Darryn Peterson scored a career-high 28.","sourceName":"[nba.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1630578/alperen-sengun) NAMES: Darryn Peterson = Houston Rockets player.","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/NBA/status/2121462288066752738","claim":"🏀 FRIDAY'S FINAL SCORES 🏀 Alperen Sengun pours in a season-high 43 PTS to lead the @HoustonRockets to the @emirates NBA Cup Group Play win! Kevin Durant: 22 PTS, 6 AST Tari Eason: 14 PTS, 11 REB Darryn Peterson: 28 PTS (career-high), 7 REB, 4 3PM, 2 STL https://t.co/ytLra7UXZq ","author":"@NBA"}]},"sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/NBA/status/2121461368885051615","name":"[nbcsports.com](https://www.nbcsports.com/fantasy/basketball/player-news/2026-11-13/alperen-sengun-has-his-second-career-40-point-game) NAMES: (none)","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"@NBA"},{"url":"https://x.com/NBA/status/2121462288066752738","name":"[nba.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1630578/alperen-sengun) NAMES: Darryn Peterson = Houston Rockets player.","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"@NBA"}],"url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1794631277630-sports-segment-sengun-joins-hakeem-and-yao-in-houston-history","listenUrl":"https://oncast.fm/c/sports","attribution":{"publisher":"Oncast","site":"https://oncast.fm","url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1794631277630-sports-segment-sengun-joins-hakeem-and-yao-in-houston-history","cite":"Cite https://oncast.fm/story/1794631277630-sports-segment-sengun-joins-hakeem-and-yao-in-houston-history and the original source links. Fact-check by Oncast (oncast.fm)."},"hostsSaid":[{"host":"Marcus","text":"Sengun just put up a line that puts him next to Hakeem and Yao in Houston history."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Forty-three points, twelve boards, five dimes, and he shot seventy percent from the floor."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Seventeen of twenty-four. That's not a hot night, that's a statement."},{"host":"Liam","text":"The Rockets say he's only the third guy in franchise history to go forty, ten, and five on seventy percent shooting, joining Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994 and Yao Ming in 2004."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Hakeem in ninety-four, Yao in oh-four, and now Sengun. That's the kind of company that gets a jersey in the rafters."},{"host":"Liam","text":"And he did it against Utah with Kevin Durant taking a step back. This is his team now."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Hold on, let's not put him in the Hall of Fame yet. Utah's center rotation is thinner than a gas station hot dog."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Come on, you can only play who's in front of you. He exploited the matchup and dominated."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"I'm not saying it's fake, I'm saying let's see him do it against a real rim protector before we start printing the banner."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Brian Taylor at NBC Sports said he won't be this good every night, but this is a career year and it could be sustainable with Durant stepping back."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"And Jimmy Vik had flagged efficiency concerns after three sub-forty percent games. Sengun answered that with seventy percent shooting."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Fine, the efficiency concerns are dead for now. But the real question is whether Houston can win a playoff series with him as the number one option."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"That's the argument. Regular season numbers are nice, but Hakeem and Yao won playoff games. Sengun hasn't done that yet."},{"host":"Liam","text":"He's twenty-four years old! Hakeem didn't win a title until he was thirty-one. Give the kid time."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"I'm not saying trade him, I'm saying let's not crown him after one November game against a bad team."},{"host":"Liam","text":"It's not one game, it's a season-long trend. He's been Houston's best player all year."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Best player on a team that hasn't won a playoff series in a while. That's the bar."},{"host":"Liam","text":"And he's clearing it. You don't get forty-three points by accident."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"You get forty-three points by playing Utah's backup centers. But fine, he's good. I'll give you that."},{"host":"Liam","text":"That's the most backhanded compliment I've ever heard."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Meanwhile, Davion Mitchell apparently tied his career high with seventeen assists for Miami. But again, I couldn't confirm that."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Seventeen assists is a huge number for a guy who's mostly known as a defender. If it's true, that's a breakout."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"The Heat won their East Group B game, but the career-high part is unverified. So we'll keep an eye on that."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Switching gears, there's a Bluesky post from Bum Chillups giving applause to a photo editor at The Athletic."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"What's the photo?"},{"host":"Liam","text":"No idea, but the post has two hundred twenty-six likes. So it must be a good one."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Great, we're now covering posts about photos we can't see. This is peak sports radio."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Hey, the people have spoken. Two hundred twenty-six likes says that photo editor deserves a raise."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"Fine, but next time let's get a screenshot. I'm not doing a whole segment on a mystery photo."},{"host":"Liam","text":"Deal. But seriously, the Sengun story is the one that matters. That's a franchise player announcing himself."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"And that's why we led with it. Hakeem, Yao, and now Sengun. Houston's got a new big man to believe in."},{"host":"Liam","text":"And if he keeps this up, the Rockets might actually be a playoff threat. That's the conversation."},{"host":"Marcus","text":"And the argument's just getting started."}]}