Rockets center takes over in OT to beat 76ers

Sengun torched the Sixers for 11 points and five rebounds in overtime as the Rockets prevailed 122-115 in Philadelphia. The Rockets center had two points, three rebounds and three assists at the half but closed strong to finish with 22 points, 14 boards and seven assists.

It's the second straight game where Sengun has started slowly and crushed his opponents late. On Tuesday, Sengun also had just two points at halftime but finished with his seventh career triple-double in a 117-111 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, also in OT. His final line was 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, along with three steals and three blocks.

The two overtime victories — Sengun had four points, two rebounds and an assist on Tuesday — were a testament to Sengun's skills but also his toughness. Playing in a back-to-back after a 42-minute effort, Sengun looked fresh as he punished whoever the Joel Embiid-free 76ers sent at him in OT, whether it was Andre Drummond, KJ Martin or Guerschon Yabusele.

Green also responded well to being benched for most of the fourth quarter and OT on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he sat out only six minutes after halftime, delivering 11 points and two assists on only four field-goal attempts in a big third quarter.

The biggest change he made was heading to the basket. After shooting only 34 percent over his last five games, shooting over half his shots from three-point range, Green took 13 of his 20 shots from the charge circle or closer. That, in turn, got him space on his six three-point attempts, and he knocked down four of them.

The short-handed 76ers simply ran out of gas in the extra period. Even with two days of rest advantage, missing Embiid and Paul George was too much, especially given how much Green and Sengun made them work. They've now slipped to 3-14, and two more rest days before their next game aren't going to solve their issues.

Meanwhile, Sengun proves he only gets stronger as everyone around him tires. Green was the biggest scorer on Wednesday, but Sengun was the closer.