Alperen Sengun moved from out to day-to-day on the injury report early Saturday because of a back injury. That leaves the Rockets center with a chance to play Saturday night against the Thunder.
What happened
Alperen Sengun was upgraded to day-to-day on the injury report at 1:16 a.m. ET on Saturday. The Rockets center had been listed as out on Friday. The injury is to his back. The report's note says he was ruled out of Friday's game against the Mavericks, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. His status has changed several times this week. He was listed as out on Oct. 27, moved to day-to-day on Oct. 29 and went back to out on Oct. 30. The report lists Oct. 31 as his expected return date.
What it means for the Rockets
Houston hosts the Thunder on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV. The Rockets are 5-1, the No. 2 seed, and lost their last game. Sengun is averaging 24.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 34.0 minutes over four games. Houston is 4-0 with him and 1-1 without him. In the games he missed, Kevin Durant averaged 23.3 points in 34.8 minutes. Amen Thompson added 17.7 points and Jabari Smith Jr. 17.2. Clint Capela played 15.0 minutes a night and scored 3.8 points. The frontcourt is short, with Steven Adams out with a right calf injury.
What to watch
Watch the next injury report before Saturday's tipoff to see whether Sengun is cleared or held out again. The report lists Oct. 31 as his expected return, which is the day of the Thunder game. No other timeline has been announced. Reed Sheppard is also day-to-day with a back injury. He has averaged 10.5 points in 23.4 minutes when Sengun was out, so his status matters for the rotation too. The Thunder game is next on the schedule.
Is Alperen Sengun playing vs Thunder on Saturday, Oct. 31?
He is day-to-day with a back injury. A final decision has not been announced. The injury report lists Oct. 31 as his expected return date.
When will Alperen Sengun be back?
The injury report lists Oct. 31 as his expected return date, the day of Houston's game against the Thunder. No other timeline has been announced.