Though the team is now 1-8 and on a five-game losing streak, the brightest spot of the 2022-23 season to date for the young Houston Rockets is the play of second-year center Alperen Sengun.
Thus far, the 6-foot-11 big man from Turkey is averaging 16.7 points (56.8% FG) and 10.3 rebounds in an extremely efficient 27.1 minutes per game, and he put up a season-high 26 points and 13 rebounds during Wednesday’s competitive loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
On Saturday, the expectation was for Sengun to face a much tougher test when the Rockets travel to Minnesota for a matchup versus the Timberwolves and Rudy Gobert, a 7-foot-1 behemoth who has won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award three times. However, Gobert is now in health and safety protocols.
Will Sengun be able to take advantage of Gobert’s absence? Here’s how you can watch, along with a look at projected lineups and injuries. Houston has a new addition to its injury report in rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr., who will miss the game due to an illness.