Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun suffered a right ankle lateral sprain just over a minute into the game against Dallas, with Kevin Durant calling the injury "tough."
Houston Rockets starting center Alperen Sengun left the game just 64 seconds in against the Dallas Mavericks after landing awkwardly on his right leg. He clutched his ankle and headed to the locker room for further evaluation.
Sengun was later diagnosed with a lateral sprain of his right ankle and was ruled out for the rest of the game. The Rockets lost 110-104 on the road.
The injury occurred when Sengun landed awkwardly after grabbing a rebound in traffic. The Rockets called a timeout with 10:56 left in the first quarter to allow him to exit the game.
"I mean, that's always an adjustment for a team when one of their main players goes out doing an action like that," Kevin Durant said after the game. "Everything we did was prepared with our center in the lineup. For him to be taken out of the game with a tough injury, it's tough for us, but I like how we are all pros and were able to turn the tide and get some momentum for ourselves, regardless.
"We hope he has a speedy recovery, but in the meantime, we have to hold it down for him."
Sengun, 23, was a first-time All-Star last season and is having a career year, averaging 22.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 block per game.
He won a silver medal at the EuroBasket 2025 with the Turkish national team in September.
The Rockets currently sit at 21-11 on the season.
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