Rookie big man Alperen Sengun impressed with 15 points in only 16 minutes on 5-of-8 shooting (62.5%), but it wasn’t enough for Houston in Sunday’s 99-98 home loss (box score) to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The young and rebuilding Rockets (15-45), who have the NBA’s worst defense on the 2021-22 season to date, had their best defensive effort in some time. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome a cold-shooting night from the starting backcourt of Dennis Schroder and Jalen Green.
Schroder had 11 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, but he shot just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from the field. Green scored 10 points but shot just 4-of-18 (22.2%), and one of those misses was a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that would have tied the game at Toyota Center.
