The Houston Rockets hosted the visiting short-handed Orlando Magic on Monday, but what could have been Franz Wagner and co. ‘s fourth straight dub quickly took a 180 after Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun’s back-to-back clutch baskets.
Sengun and Durant Surely Delivered in Crunch Time
H-town has always trailed for most of the game and was even down by as much as 14 points at one point. However, the final two minutes of regulation between the Rockets-Magic duel were absolute cinema, with both teams going back and forth at each other. Subsequent late heroics from Kevin Durant lifted Houston from initially coping with Magic’s pace to finally taking the lead after a deep three in the 2:49 mark, 95-94. As expected, like the great scorer he is, KD took matters into his own hands by hitting another three-pointer with 21.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, tying the game 100-100.
With just 0.2 seconds left in the game clock, Alperen Sengun made the quickest game-tying hook shot of his life to force OT. When the extension came, the Magic still wouldn’t budge, but the momentum was clearly siding with the Houston Rockets. Eventually, Durant bailed them out again by converting the dagger midrange jump—his only two points in overtime—to seal the win, 117-113.
Durant finished the night with a game-high 35 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Sengun was just a couple of assists short of recording another triple-double with his 30 points, 8 dimes, and 12 boards.
It was one of those moments when the team’s two superstars were asked to perform in the clutch …, and they delivered.
Franz Wagner gave it all with 29 points and 5 rebounds, while Desmond Bane finds his rhythm after putting up a season-high 26 points, but the Magic’s tragic start to the season continues with Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs out again.
Sengun and Durant Might Just be the NBA’s Best Superstar Duo Right Now
Now, this claim might be an overstatement considering that KD is already 37 years old while Sengun is just beginning to break out as a legitimate star, but given how well they’re already leading the Rockets to the top 3 seed in a stacked Western Conference, the Durant-Sengun duo might turn out to be the league’s best one-two punch combo.
They’re ranked second in terms of highest combined scoring average (48.9 PPG) behind the Lakers’ Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves (62.7 PPG), fifth in combined PER, whilst continuously keeping the Rockets in the conversation as this season’s heavy title favorites.
They may still be a raw project compared to OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Willams, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, or even Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (though he’s injured and is out indefinitely), but seeing Alperen Sengun’s breakout season and Kevin Durant’s another All-NBA year in the same team is definitely a must-watch in the West!
