Rockets lose Sengun to injury
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fred Vanvleet scored 22 points, Jalen Green added 19 and Houston beat the Sacramento Kings 112-104 on Sunday after the Rockets lost leading-scorer Alperen Sengun to a right knee and ankle injury.
Sengun landed awkwardly while challenging a shot by the Kings’ Domantas Sabonis with under a minute to play in the fourth. Sengun appeared to be in immediate distress and he left the court in a wheelchair after several minutes on the baseline, with his hands covering his face.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said after the game that Sengun was getting an X-ray and he would “know more shortly.” ESPN reported that Sengun will undergo and MRI on both his right knee and ankle on Monday.
“It doesn’t diminish the win in general,” Udoka said. “I think it was one of our best road wins. He had a huge part in that.”
The 21-year-old Sengun, who had 14 points prior to the injury, is averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game in his third season.
Bey out for the year with injury
Atlanta Hawks forward Saddiq Bey will miss the rest of the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee, another major blow to
the injury-plagued team.
The Hawks already have been playing without two starters — top scorer Trae Young and Jalen Johnson — as well as backup center Onyeka Okongwu.
Now, they’ve lost another starter while mired at 29-35 and holding onto the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.
“We’ve just been dropping guys and dropping guys,” guard Dejounte Murray said. “It’s tough. I think injuries is what it comes down to (as far as) dictating how your season goes for a lot of teams.”
Bey left a 116-103 loss to New Orleans on Sunday night with what was initially described as a hyperextended left knee. An MRI found a torn anterior cruciate ligament, which will require season-ending surgery.
Bey slid on the floor in pain after stopping short and getting fouled with 10:41 remaining. He stayed in and made one of two free throws, then was removed and went to the locker room with a slight limp. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
The Hawks lost Young, their All-star point guard, for at least a month after he tore a ligament in his left pinkie in a Feb. 23 loss to Toronto. Johnson has missed the last two games with a sprained right ankle.
Okongu went down before the All-star break with a sprained left big toe.
He is no longer wearing a walking boot, but it will be at least another week before he’s reevaluated.
In addition, little-used rookie guard Kobe Bufkin, the team’s firstround pick, is now in a walking boot because of sprained left big toe.
Davis, Lakers top Timberwolves
Anthony Davis had 27 points, a season-high 25 rebounds and a careerhigh seven steals while leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 120-109 victory over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
Davis added five assists and three blocked shots in one of the most prolific games of his decorated career.
The nine-time All-star feasted on a Minnesota lineup missing its top two big men and four regulars due to injuries, grabbing 21 rebounds in the second half alone and leading a 21-4 rally to begin the fourth quarter while the Lakers pulled away to their 12th win in 17 games.
Lebron James had 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as the Lakers knocked off another top team following wins over Oklahoma City and Milwaukee on their six-game homestand.
Los Angeles (36-30) is six games above .500 for the first time this season.
Lakers to correct errors on statue
The Los Angeles Lakers say they’re planning to fix a handful of errors on the base of the statue of Kobe Bryant unveiled last month outside their arena.
The names of former NBA players Jose Calderon and Von Wafer are misspelled on the base in a rendering of the box score from Bryant’s 81point game in January 2006, along with a misspelling of the phrase “Coach’s Decision.”
There are also minor formatting mistakes in another spot on the busy base of the statue, which displays many of Bryant’s accomplishments.