Alperen Sengun scores 26 with 10 assists as the Rockets beat the Celtics 109-93 and improve to 7-1

Alperen Sengun scored 26 points on 12-of-15 shooting with 10 assists and 7 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets beat the Boston Celtics 109-93 at Toyota Center on Monday, November 2. Houston, 7-1 and 4-0 at home, scored first, never trailed and led by as many as 18. Boston is 5-2 and 1-2 on the road.

DOMINANT NIGHT for @alperennsengun 🔥

📊 26 PTS | 7 REB | 10 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 12-15 FG pic.twitter.com/XfqassdnCV

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) November 3, 2026

Video: Rockets / X.

Jabari Smith Jr. had 14 points and 10 rebounds with four threes and a game-best plus-20, Amen Thompson scored 14, Tari Eason had 13 off the bench and Kevin Durant added 12 on 5-of-6 shooting. Houston shot 43 of 79 (54%), made 14 of 35 threes and had 34 assists on its 43 baskets.

How it turned

Houston opened 5-0, with a Durant jumper and a 28-foot three by Fred VanVleet, and led 25-15 on a Tari Eason three with 2:59 left in the first quarter. Boston answered with a 14-4 finish to the quarter, with Luka Garza hitting two threes, and it was tied at 29-29 after one. Houston outscored Boston 28-21 in the second quarter and led 57-50 at halftime.

Boston got as close as 62-63 in the third quarter, when Mitchell Robinson finished an alley-oop from Jayson Tatum with 8:44 left. Houston pushed the lead back to 68-62 and 75-68, and led 82-73 after three quarters, 25-23 in the period.

SENGUN AND THE ROCKETS IMPROVE TO 7-1 🚀

26 PTS
7 REB
10 AST
2 STL
2 BLK pic.twitter.com/wzkonWKy1p

— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2026

Video: NBA / X.

The game was decided in the fourth quarter. Houston led 87-79 when Garza hit a 31-foot three with 8:52 left, and then went on a 10-0 run, with Marcus Smart making two threes, Reed Sheppard making a three and a layup, and Sengun adding a short jumper, to lead 97-79 with 6:52 left. Sheppard’s 25-footer with 6:24 left made it 100-82. Boston never got closer than 13 after that. Houston outscored Boston 27-20 in the quarter.

The numbers

Houston outscored Boston 50-34 in the paint and 18-2 on the fast break, and scored 15 points off Boston’s turnovers. Boston shot 39% (32 of 83), made 12 of 42 threes (29%) and 17 of 20 free throws, and committed 16 turnovers. The Celtics had 13 offensive rebounds to Houston’s 9 and a 38-36 rebounding edge.

The Celtics’ side

Tatum scored 19 points on 5-of-16 shooting, made all eight of his free throws and had 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 turnovers in 32 minutes. Neemias Queta had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting with 6 rebounds, Garza scored 14 off the bench on 4-of-7 three-point shooting, and Baylor Scheierman had 11. Derrick White shot 3 of 12 for 7 points, and Payton Pritchard was 0 for 7 from the field in 30 minutes and scored 4 points. Paul George rested and Devin Carter was out with an illness. Houston was without Steven Adams (calf) and Clint Capela (ankle).

What’s next

Boston hosts the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, November 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET (2:30 a.m. Thursday Cairo time). Houston hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves the same night at 8:30 p.m. ET (3:30 a.m. Thursday Cairo time).

Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.