Sengun scores a career-high 37, Rockets outlast Jazz in OT 127-126
HOUSTON (AP) Alperen Sengun scored a career-high 37 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 127-126 overtime win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
Sengun missed two free throws with 8.1 seconds remaining in overtime, and Utah’s Jordan Clarkson missed a mid-range jumper in the closing seconds as Houston hung on to snap a three-game losing streak.
Jabari Smith Jr. hit a free throw with 36.4 seconds remaining in overtime to put Houston up 127-126. On the next play, Amen Thompson had a high-flying block at the rim to deny Collin Sexton’s layup attempt that could have given Utah the lead.
“Those wins are satisfying, no doubt,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Not just the overtime part but how we gutted it out. A lot of guys got a chance to win a real tough basketball game so it was good for them.”
The Rockets returned home where they are 16-6 after losing five of six on an East Coast trip to fall to 4-15 on the road.
Utah has now lost back-to-back games following a six-game winning streak.
Clarkson led Utah with 33 points off the bench, while Collin Sexton added 28. Walker Kessler had five blocks and Ochai Agbaji added three blocks.
“We just kept fighting,” Clarkson said. “We gave us an opportunity to win, chances to win. We just couldn’t finish it out tonight, but it was a well-played game.”
Sengun hit two free throws with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth to tie the game at 115. Sexton missed a 3 at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
“I will live and die with those shots every time,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “Those guys have proven they can make those shots time and time again. But ultimately, not being able to secure defensive rebounds and secure the ball ultimately cost us in that game.”
Houston was 0-3 in overtime games this season and hadn’t won a game in overtime since Dec. 5, 2022.
“I don’t remember if we won in overtime since I’ve been here the past three years,” Sengun said. “So, that meant a lot. We’ve grown up a lot. We played hard, we don’t want to lose in our house, and we got the win.”
Houston led 61-54 at halftime. The Rockets made 8 of 19 from beyond the arc in the first half after making eight 3s or less in each of their previous four games while shooting 26.5% over that span. Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.
Utah guard Kris Dunn and Houston forward Jabari Smith Jr. had to be separated late in the third quarter after Dunn set a hard screen on Smith immediately following Lauri Markkanen's defensive rebound. Both players were assessed technical fouls.
The teams were tied 89-all entering the fourth.
“It’s a miracle we were even in that game,” Hardy said. “They had 24 offensive rebounds and we had 17 turnovers. It’s a bad recipe for success. But I was really happy with how the team executed down the stretch.”
UP NEXT
Jazz: Visit the Pelicans on Tuesday night.
Rockets: Host Boston on Sunday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | John Collins vs. Alperen Sengun (Rockets gains possession) | ||
| 11:40 | | Jalen Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:37 | | Alperen Sengun offensive rebound | ||
| 11:35 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point hook shot | ||
| 11:35 |  | Lauri Markkanen defensive rebound | ||
| 11:25 | | John Collins misses two point hook shot | ||
| 11:23 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 11:06 | | +2 | Dillon Brooks makes two point pullup jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 0-2 |
| 10:52 | | John Collins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:51 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 10:48 | | Alperen Sengun turnover (bad pass) (Collin Sexton steals) | ||
| 10:44 | | Collin Sexton misses two point running layup | ||
| 10:42 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 10:39 | | Jalen Green misses two point running layup | ||
| 10:37 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 10:29 | | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:27 | | Lauri Markkanen offensive rebound | ||
| 10:25 | | Lauri Markkanen misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:25 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 10:17 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point cutting layup (Kris Dunn assists) | 2-2 |
| 9:55 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point driving layup (Jalen Green assists) | 2-4 |
| 9:38 | | John Collins misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 9:36 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 9:27 | | Collin Sexton shooting foul (Jabari Smith Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 9:27 | | +1 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 2-5 |
| 9:27 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 9:27 | | Simone Fontecchio defensive rebound | ||
| 9:15 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point driving floating jump shot | 4-5 |
| 9:01 | | Fred VanVleet misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 9:01 | | John Collins defensive rebound | ||
| 8:50 | | +2 | John Collins makes two point driving floating jump shot (Collin Sexton assists) | 6-5 |
| 8:50 | | Fred VanVleet shooting foul (John Collins draws the foul) | ||
| 8:50 | | +1 | John Collins makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 7-5 |
| 8:35 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point driving hook shot | 7-7 |
| 8:20 | | John Collins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:18 | | Dillon Brooks defensive rebound | ||
| 8:11 | | +2 | Dillon Brooks makes two point running layup | 7-9 |
| 7:58 | | +3 | Simone Fontecchio makes three point jump shot (Kris Dunn assists) | 10-9 |
| 7:39 | | +2 | Fred VanVleet makes two point pullup jump shot | 10-11 |
| 7:28 | | Dillon Brooks personal foul (Collin Sexton draws the foul) | ||
| 7:22 | | +3 | Lauri Markkanen makes three point jump shot (Simone Fontecchio assists) | 13-11 |
| 7:11 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:10 | | Kris Dunn defensive rebound | ||
| 7:04 | | Collin Sexton misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 6:59 | | Simone Fontecchio offensive rebound | ||
| 6:51 | | Simone Fontecchio misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:50 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 6:42 | | Dillon Brooks misses two point running layup | ||
| 6:41 | | Walker Kessler defensive rebound | ||
| 6:38 | | Simone Fontecchio offensive foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 6:38 | | Simone Fontecchio turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 6:38 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:23 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point cutting dunk (Alperen Sengun assists) | 13-13 |
| 6:23 | | Simone Fontecchio shooting foul (Jalen Green draws the foul) | ||
| 6:23 | | +1 | Jalen Green makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 13-14 |
| 6:12 | | Collin Sexton offensive foul (Fred VanVleet draws the foul) | ||
| 6:12 | | Collin Sexton turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 6:01 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point stepback jump shot (Fred VanVleet assists) | 13-16 |
| 5:46 | | Lauri Markkanen misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:42 | | Collin Sexton offensive rebound | ||
| 5:36 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point floating jump shot | 15-16 |
| 5:26 | | Jalen Green turnover (lost ball) (Kris Dunn steals) | ||
| 5:22 | | +2 | Kris Dunn makes two point running dunk | 17-16 |
| 4:58 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:57 | | Alperen Sengun offensive rebound | ||
| 4:55 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point hook shot | 17-18 |
| 4:39 | | Lauri Markkanen misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:34 | | Kris Dunn offensive rebound | ||
| 4:27 | | Kris Dunn misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:25 | | Collin Sexton offensive rebound | ||
| 4:22 | | Collin Sexton misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 4:22 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 4:14 | | +2 | Lauri Markkanen makes two point driving floating jump shot (Walker Kessler assists) | 19-18 |
| 4:01 | | +3 | Alperen Sengun makes three point jump shot (Jae'Sean Tate assists) | 19-21 |
| 3:42 | | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point pullup jump shot | 21-21 |
| 3:30 | | Fred VanVleet misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:27 | | Jordan Clarkson defensive rebound | ||
| 3:16 | | Lauri Markkanen turnover (lost ball) (Jabari Smith Jr. steals) | ||
| 3:11 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point running layup (Fred VanVleet assists) | 21-23 |
| 3:09 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:55 | | Fred VanVleet blocks Walker Kessler's two point layup | ||
| 2:52 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 2:47 | | Amen Thompson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:44 | | Jae'Sean Tate offensive rebound | ||
| 2:41 | | +3 | Fred VanVleet makes three point jump shot (Jae'Sean Tate assists) | 21-26 |
| 2:24 | | +3 | Keyonte George makes three point jump shot (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 24-26 |
| 2:04 | | Fred VanVleet misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:03 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 1:57 | | Jordan Clarkson misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:55 | | Fred VanVleet defensive rebound | ||
| 1:33 | | Dillon Brooks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:29 | | Alperen Sengun offensive rebound | ||
| 1:28 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point putback layup | ||
| 1:25 | | Alperen Sengun offensive rebound | ||
| 1:25 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point tip layup | ||
| 1:25 | | Jae'Sean Tate offensive rebound | ||
| 1:20 | | +2 | Jae'Sean Tate makes two point tip layup | 24-28 |
| 1:08 | | Jordan Clarkson misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 1:06 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 0:59 | | Dillon Brooks misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:57 | | Keyonte George defensive rebound | ||
| 0:53 | | Dillon Brooks personal foul (Jordan Clarkson draws the foul) | ||
| 0:40 | | Cam Whitmore blocks Keyonte George's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 0:37 | | Cam Whitmore defensive rebound | ||
| 0:35 | | Cam Whitmore misses two point running layup | ||
| 0:35 | | Amen Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 0:34 | | Amen Thompson misses two point tip layup | ||
| 0:34 | | Amen Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 0:30 | | Walker Kessler blocks Jae'Sean Tate's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 0:30 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 0:18 | | +3 | Cam Whitmore makes three point jump shot (Jeff Green assists) | 24-31 |
| 0:00 | | Fred VanVleet blocks Jordan Clarkson's two point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:42 | | Jae'Sean Tate shooting foul (Jordan Clarkson draws the foul) | ||
| 11:42 | | +1 | Jordan Clarkson makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 25-31 |
| 11:42 | | +1 | Jordan Clarkson makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 26-31 |
| 11:42 | | +1 | Jordan Clarkson makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 27-31 |
| 11:24 | | Jae'Sean Tate misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 11:23 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 11:16 | | Ochai Agbaji turnover (traveling) | ||
| 11:07 | | +3 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes three point jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 27-34 |
| 10:50 | | Keyonte George offensive foul (Amen Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 10:50 | | Keyonte George turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:39 | | +3 | Cam Whitmore makes three point stepback jump shot | 27-37 |
| 10:21 | | Jordan Clarkson turnover (lost ball) (Jabari Smith Jr. steals) | ||
| 10:17 | | Ochai Agbaji blocks Amen Thompson's two point running layup | ||
| 10:13 | | Amen Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 10:12 | | Ochai Agbaji blocks Jabari Smith Jr.'s two point dunk | ||
| 10:12 | | Walker Kessler defensive rebound | ||
| 10:03 | | +3 | Jordan Clarkson makes three point jump shot (Keyonte George assists) | 30-37 |
| 9:45 | | +3 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes three point jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 30-40 |
| 9:28 | | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:27 | | Jeff Green defensive rebound | ||
| 9:12 | | +3 | Jeff Green makes three point stepback jump shot | 30-43 |
| 9:01 | | Jae'Sean Tate personal foul (Ochai Agbaji draws the foul) | ||
| 8:48 | | Jordan Clarkson misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 8:46 | | Jordan Clarkson offensive rebound | ||
| 8:45 | | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point putback layup | 32-43 |
| 8:30 | | +2 | Aaron Holiday makes two point driving floating jump shot (Cam Whitmore assists) | 32-45 |
| 8:22 | | Keyonte George turnover (bad pass) (Amen Thompson steals) | ||
| 8:10 | | Jeff Green turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 7:52 | | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:50 | | Jeff Green defensive rebound | ||
| 7:37 | | Walker Kessler shooting foul (Aaron Holiday draws the foul) | ||
| 7:37 | | +1 | Aaron Holiday makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-46 |
| 7:37 | | +1 | Aaron Holiday makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 32-47 |
| 7:33 | | Keyonte George turnover (lost ball) (Aaron Holiday steals) | ||
| 7:33 | | +2 | Aaron Holiday makes two point running layup | 32-49 |
| 7:33 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:33 | | Aaron Holiday technical foul | ||
| 7:33 | | +1 | Lauri Markkanen makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 33-49 |
| 7:19 | | +2 | Kelly Olynyk makes two point driving finger roll layup (Keyonte George assists) | 35-49 |
| 7:02 | | Jalen Green misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:01 | | Jazz defensive rebound | ||
| 7:01 | | Aaron Holiday personal foul (Loose ball) (Lauri Markkanen draws the foul) | ||
| 6:44 | | Kelly Olynyk misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:42 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 6:36 | | Kelly Olynyk personal foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 6:29 | | Jeff Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:27 | | Jazz defensive rebound | ||
| 6:14 | | +2 | Jordan Clarkson makes two point driving floating jump shot | 37-49 |
| 5:55 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point bank jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 37-51 |
| 5:42 | | +2 | Collin Sexton makes two point driving finger roll layup | 39-51 |
| 5:29 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point turnaround hook shot (Jalen Green assists) | 39-53 |
| 5:20 | | Amen Thompson shooting foul (Lauri Markkanen draws the foul) | ||
| 5:20 | | Lauri Markkanen misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 5:20 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 5:20 |