Playing for the Houston Rockets in the NBA, Alperen Şengün had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals in the match his team played with the New Orleans Pelicans and won 114-112.
Houston managed to win the game, despite falling back 16 points sometime in the game.
Alperen, at the end of the match:
“We fought throughout the game, but Jonas Valanciunas is a huge and strong player. We did our best against him, we always helped each other in defense. We never gave up. There were moments when we were knocked down, but that’s what we learned this season: not to give up. We fought, we came back. And we won the game.”
“I do everything I can in defense. My teammates also help me a lot in defense because defense is not an individual job, it’s a team job. That’s why we help each other and get better.” used his statements.
Houston coach Stephen Silas spoke about Alperen Şengün’s defense at the end-of-match press conference and said that young players are starting to improve:
“This match tells a lot about us, it shows the resilience of my team. Today, many players played well on both sides of the field. Alperen’s defense in the second half was very good. We feel that we are moving in the right direction and we are making progress. Whether it’s late or not, Alperen tried harder in defense. , Jabari is starting to kick in. It’s good to see them.
Especially Jabari’s shot… What a shot! It was as if he knew beforehand that the shot would come. I am happy for him. I am happy for my players. Everyone in the dressing room after the match was very excited. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this season. We fought some challenges, but now we’re overcoming it and we see that we can play good basketball.”