Rockets’ Alperen Sengun becomes 5th NBA player with 45+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ steals in a game

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun became the fifth player in NBA history to record at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five steals in a single game, in Tuesday night’s 114-101 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The 6-foot-11 big man notched a career-high 45 points, a season-high 16 rebounds, three assists, a career-best five steals, and one block in 36 minutes of action. He shot 19-of-32 (59.4%) from the floor and 5-of-7 (71.4%) at the foul line.

Per a few NBA betting sites, Sengun holds fourth-shortest odds to win the NBA Most Improved Player Award. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for Tyrese Maxey, Coby White, and Jalen Williams.

Alperen Şengün is just the 5th player with 45+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 5+ steals in a single game 🚀#Rockets ⎹ #NBA pic.twitter.com/csgdto7trz

— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) March 6, 2024

Sengun joined Anthony Davis (2x), Joel Embiid, James Harden, and John Drew as the only NBA players since 1973-74 — when steals were first tracked — to post at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five steals in a game.

“He was a beast,” said teammate Jalen Green, who added 23 rebounds, two rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 38 minutes played. “He was amazing, that’s the Alpi I know.”

Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun became the youngest NBA player to post such a stat line

At 21 years and 224 days old, Sengun also became the youngest NBA player to finish a game with that stat line. He capped his impressive night by scoring Houston’s last five points, ending his outing with a 3-pointer.

The Rockets outscored San Antonio 34-24 in the fourth quarter. Houston shot 49-of-105 (46.7%) from the field and 9-of-34 (26.5%) beyond the arc, en route to dropping 70 points on the Spurs in the paint.

Moreover, the Turkish hooper was determined to play better against Victor Wembanyama, last year’s No. 1 overall pick. He scored 15 points and nine rebounds in the previous meeting with the Spurs on Dec. 11.

A CAREER NIGHT FOR ALPEREN SENGUN 👏

🚀 45 PTS (career high)
🚀 19-32 FGM
🚀 16 REB
🚀 5 STL pic.twitter.com/dDzo76vvF4

— NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2024

“Yeah, of course,” Sengun said. “I didn’t play that good last game against him I can say. I didn’t see that many double teams today. They just left me one-on-one with Wemby, so I just did what I do.”

Through 60 games (all starts) this season, Sengun is averaging career highs of 21.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 32.4 minutes per game. He’s shooting 53.9% from the field and 70.7% at the line as well.

The third-year center ranks 11th in total rebounds (555) and eighth in offensive rebounds (172). Plus, he sits fifth in 2-point field goals (470), 11th in defensive win shares (3.2), and 18th in box plus/minus (4.8).