The Los Angeles Lakers have the Houston Rockets on the ropes. Alperen Sengun and his team are trailing 0-2 as the series heads to Texas for the first time.
Being under the Lakers in the standings would typically leave the “underdogs” less discouraged. However, the Rockets entered the series as heavy favorites. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, LA’s top sharpshooters, have missed both games so far.
Sengun addressed reporters after a Thursday practice session ahead of Game 3. The veteran front-court star denied that the team was feeling any sense of discouragement.
Alperen Sengun Addresses The Rockets’ Mindset
“No… this is a long series,” Sengun said.
“This is a long series. We are confident. We’re going to go game-by-game, and we want to win this series still. We were down 3-1 last season, we came back to Game 7. We didn’t do a good job in Game 7, but we still came back. We never give up, and that’s who we are. We have two home games now, and we’re going to protect home, and go back to LA for the fifth game.”
Since Game 2 concluded, the Rockets have lost plenty of support as the favorites in the series. With the Lakers getting a massive boost from their supporting cast and improving defensively, LA simply looks like the better team so far.
When Will The Rockets Get A Chance To Bounce Back?
The series is set to resume on Friday, April 24.
Game 3 will take place in Houston, Texas, giving the Rockets a chance to have home-court advantage as they attempt to bounce back in front of their fans.
So far this series, Sengun has averaged 35.5 minutes of playing time. The veteran center has made 38.5% of his shots from the field, producing 19.5 points per game. He is also coming down with 9.5 rebounds per game, and producing 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks.