Kings-Rockets Matchup of the Game: Domantas Sabonis vs. Alperen Sengun

The Sacramento Kings have a big matchup with the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.

Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) dribbles against Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (left) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

For the third straight game, the matchup of the game features Domantas Sabonis. It’s not just because Sabonis continues to put together arguably the best season of his career, but that the Sacramento Kings continue to face teams with talented bigs.

The Houston Rockets are a young upcoming team built with depth. They don’t have anyone averaging over 20 points per game but seven players averaging double-digit scoring, one of which is Alperen Sengun.

Season stats:

• Domantas Sabonis: 20.7 PTS, 12.9 REB, 6.4 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.5 BLK, 61.9 FG%, 42.9 3P%
• Alperen Sengun: 18.8 PTS, 10.9 REB, 5.3 AST, 1.1 STL, 1.2 BLK, 47.2 FG%, 25.8 3P%

Sabonis and Sengun have very similar games and styles. Both the Kings and the Rockets run the offense through their bigs, and both are extremely active on the boards. Sabonis has had the better efficiency so far this season, but Sengun is showing out in his fourth season.

The biggest difference between the two this year is that Sabonis has proven he can step out and hit the outside shot. Sengun will take the mid-range, but much like Domas over the last few seasons, doesn’t step out beyond the arc much with 1.5 three-point attempts per contest.

I expect Sabonis to go at Sengun early and often, but tonight should be a fun matchup between two of the most talented bigs in the game.

---

Follow Sacramento Kings on SI on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Kings news videos and live-stream podcasts!