Alperen Sengun has been ruled out for Friday's game at Dallas with a back issue, a downgrade from day-to-day. Unbeaten Houston will play without its starting center and three other injured players.
What happened
Alperen Sengun has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Mavericks with a back issue, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports. The injury report moved the 24-year-old center to out at 6:54 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 30, about an hour before the 8 p.m. tip in Dallas. On Thursday, Oct. 29, he was listed as day-to-day. That was an upgrade from Tuesday, Oct. 27, when the same back problem first put him on the report as out. The injury report lists the issue as back, torso.
What it means for the Rockets
Houston plays at Dallas at 8 p.m. ET on Friday with a 5-0 record, a five-game winning streak and the top seed. Sengun has been the hub of the offense. Through four games he is averaging 24.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 34.0 minutes. The Rockets are 4-0 with him and 1-0 without him. Without him, the minutes have gone to Jabari Smith Jr. (34.4 minutes, 16.2 points), Kevin Durant (34.3, 22.4), Amen Thompson (33.9, 18.2) and Fred VanVleet (29.8, 12.3). Tari Eason (24.8, 10.2) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (14.1, 8.0) also play bigger roles. Reed Sheppard, Marcus Smart and Steven Adams are all out too, so the rotation is even thinner.
What to watch
The injury report lists Saturday, Oct. 31 as Sengun's expected return date, the day after the Dallas game. This is the second time this week he has been ruled out with the back issue, so his next status update will be telling. Sheppard (back), Smart (left forearm) and Adams (right calf) remain out. No timelines for any of them have been announced.
Is Alperen Sengun playing against the Mavericks on Friday?
No. Sengun has been ruled out for Friday's 8 p.m. ET game at Dallas with a back issue.
When will Alperen Sengun be back?
The injury report lists Saturday, Oct. 31 as his expected return date. A specific game for his return has not been announced.