Rockets fans, Saturday night’s (Jan 3, 2026) game in Dallas was a gut punch! The Houston Rockets saw their four-game win streak snapped with a 104-110 loss to the Mavericks, but the real heartbreak was Alperen Şengün’s early exit. The All-Star center lasted just over a minute before suffering a lateral right ankle sprain, rolling it awkwardly on Daniel Gafford’s foot during a rebound.
Alperen Sengun, Rockets
Kevin Durant, in his first season with Houston, didn’t blame missed shots – he framed it around losing a key teammate: “That’s always an adjustment when a main player goes out… Everything was prepared with our center. Tough injury, but we fought like pros and built momentum. Speedy recovery to him – we hold it down in the meantime.” KD played the entire second half with four fouls, dropping 12 of his 34 points in the fourth to nearly erase a 17-point deficit, but Max Christie (24 pts, hot shooting) and AD (26 pts, dominant paint) sealed it for Dallas.
The Injury & Immediate Impact Şengün is at career highs: ~21.8-22.6 PPG, 9+ REB, 6.5+ AST, elite steals/blocks – team’s leading scorer, best big passer, offensive hub. With Steven Adams also out (ankle), only Clint Capela remained as a true big. Rockets went small, got outscored 66-54 in paint despite dominating O-rebs 17-2.
Offense struggled (38.7% FG), half-court stalled without their connector. Coach Udoka: “No update yet.”
Latest Update (Jan 5, 2026) Şengün is day-to-day – not as severe as feared. But with a tough stretch ahead (next vs. Suns tonight, KD’s old team!), caution is key. Rockets at 21-11, solid top-4 West, but depth tested without their fulcrum.
Rockets fam, the hurt is real but we’ll bounce! How do you see the team responding vs. Phoenix?