One of the headline matchups on a quiet day of NBA basketball will be between the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. Alperen Sengun and company will be hosting this Western Conference battle with both sides on a two-game winning streak.
The Rockets hold a 37-22 record, which puts them in fifth place in the Western Conference. Their youthful core has continued to progress with players like Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Sengun each showing positive flashes of growth.
Sacramento sits in 10th place in the Western Conference with their 30-28 record. They are adjusting to their new-look roster after some significant changes at the deadline. They traded De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio with Zach LaVine being the biggest name of the returning package. The Kings are 6-4 since this trade.
The Rockets enter this matchup as 4.5-point favorites and -185 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Kings hold +154 odds on the moneyline with the game total set at 231.5.
With the stage set, here are my favorite Sengun prop bets ahead of the Saturday matchup.
Best Alperen Sengun Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Sengun’s props are listed at over/under 20.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.5 made three-pointers and 36.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Alperen Sengun Over 36.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists (-105)
Sengun has one of the more unique play styles in the NBA. His limited athleticism and lack of presence as a shot-blocker limit his impact in some matchups. However, if you were to name the player with the most similar style, Domantas Sabonis may be at the top of the list. The two will face off tonight.
Sengun is averaging 18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. His scoring numbers have been scaled back a bit since last year and his minutes dropped from 32.5 minutes per game last year to 31.1 this season. Even still, he has recorded over 36.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in 24 games this season.
This will be the fourth matchup between these two teams thus far. In the opening three games, Sengun averaged 22.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The Turkish big man eclipsed 36.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in one of these three matchups. He also has cleared this number in three of his past four games.
Look for Sengun to build off this and have a strong impact across the board with Sabonis as his primary matchup. Look for his scoring to lead the way and for Sengun to have no problem reaching over 36.5 combined stats overall.
Alperen Sengun to Record 7+ Assists (+245)
One area where I especially expect Sengun to stand out is as a playmaker. While I gave some thought to taking a chance on a triple-double at +1800, which he has done three times this season, taking the alternate line for Sengun to record 7+ assists at +245 is a safer option.
The standard assist prop for the Rockets’ big man is set at 4.5 with the over favored at -145 odds. Sengun has recorded five or more assists in 30 of the 56 games he has played this season. He has recorded as many as 11 assists in a game twice and recorded seven or more assists in 10 games.
With Fred VanVleet back, each member of the Rockets’ roster will return to their designed role. Sengun is capable of serving as the offensive hub for stretches and the lack of rim protection on the Sacramento roster opens up lob opportunities for the high-level athletes that surround Sengun. Keep an eye on backdoor cuts throughout this matchup. VanVleet will help run a more traditional point guard approach, but there is a case Sengun is a more advanced playmaker in the half-court setting. VanVleet is comfortable functioning in an off-ball role during these opportunities, which are sure to occur tonight.
Sengun has logged seven assists in a game as recently as last Saturday. Look for him to be ready to carve up a Sacramento defense that ranks 21st in opponents’ points allowed, 18th in opponents’ field goal percentage, 29th in opponents’ three-point percentage and 21st in assists given up.
