Alperen Şengün's night came to a heartbreaking end during the Houston Rockets' 112-104 victory over the Sacramento Kings Sunday night.
He sustained a lower right leg injury with 39.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He came down awkwardly while trying to contest a shot attempt by Domantas Sabonis. He was unable to walk and exited the game in a wheelchair.
Per Jonathan Fagan of the Houston Chronicle, there was no update on Şengün's injury, who was getting x-rays done following the game. Fagan added that Şengün's injuries were to his knee and ankle.
"You hate to see that, especially that late in the game," coach Ime Udoka told reporters after the game. "He was making a play to try and get a defensive stop. I think that was one of the best road wins, and he played a huge part in that. He landed awkwardly on that ankle. But we will see what the x-rays say."
Şengün departed the Golden 1 Center after another performance that showcased the career year he was having amid his third season. He finished the game with 14 points on 7 of 14 shooting, six rebounds and three steals.
Şengün came into Sacramento off the heels of some of his best career performances, averaging 27.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.5 steals over the previous four games.
He led the Rockets to a 3-1 record during the stretch. His best performance came amid Houston's 114-101 victory over the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night. Şengün posted a career-best 45 points against Victor Wembanyama.
Twenty-four hours later, Şengün recorded his second-career triple-double of 23 points, 19 rebounds and 14 assists in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He has averaged a career-best 21.2 points on 53.7 percent shooting, 9.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists across 63 games.
"It sucks, injuries are a part of the game," Fred VanVleet said. "It is always tough to see your teammates go down. It was a scary-looking injury. A scary-looking fall. Hopefully, all of the images come back clean."
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