Kevin Durant on Alperen Sengun: “I’ve played with a lot of specialists as big men, guys that do a great job of screening, rebounding, or being physical… but nobody that can score quite like that.”
Thought this was an important (and telling) bucket with ~3:00 left.
I asked @KDTrey5 if he’s ever played with a center like Alperen Şengün who commands so much gravity:
Durant: “I’ve played with a lot of specialists as big men. … But nobody that can score like that.”
KD a… pic.twitter.com/ReClmKJiMD
— Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) November 17, 2025
Houston’s All-Star duo of Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun combined for 65 points in Sunday’s thrilling comeback victory over the Orlando Magic. The Rockets (9-3) have now won nine of their last 10 games, overall.
Durant hit multiple key shots late in the fourth quarter and in overtime, and on many of them, he benefited from the attention drawn by Sengun. That included a 3-pointer that Durant connected on with 2:48 left, which gave Houston its first lead since the game’s opening moments.
In his postgame press conference, Durant was asked (by Michael Shapiro of Chron.com) about that sequence and whether he had previously played alongside a big man with similar on-court gravity.
The future Hall of Famer responded:
No, not at all. I’ve played with a lot of specialists as big men, guys that do a great job of screening, rebounding, or being physical… but nobody that can score quite like that. And no disrespect to the players I played with, but I’m sure they all feel the same way. That’s how good Alpi is.
So on that specific play, they were a little nervous, with him in the post. Wendell Carter (Jr.), when you see a big posting up a wing player, you get a little nervous. So, he played in between… and I knew I was going to shoot that one.
Considering that Durant is now in his 19th NBA season, in a career that has featured multiple championships and 16 playoff teams, that’s a strong compliment.
Durant, Sengun, and the rest of the Rockets will look to build on their recent momentum when they face the Cavaliers (9-5) on Wednesday night. Tipoff from Cleveland is at 6:00 p.m. Central, and the matchup will be televised regionally on Space City Home Network and nationally via ESPN and NBA League Pass.