Rockets' fourth-year center an icon in his home country, where Turkish fans and politicians support his career.

Nearing real stardom, Şengün reflects on Rockets' belief in him: "Whoever trusts me, or backs me up, I will take care of them all my life."

Houston Rockets leading scorers Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green combined for just 23 points Monday night in a road contest at the defending-champion Boston Celtics. A pair of unexpected reinforcements led Ime Udoka's squad in a marquee 114-112 victory.

Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

Houston Rockets second-year forward Amen Thompson was selected for the NBA’s Rising Stars Challenge on Tuesday, an unsurprising development for the 21-year-old who has become a league-wide sensation.

Boston has lost nine games this season where it had the lead in the fourth quarter (which equals last year's mark in half the games).

The Houston Rockets have made massive strides as a team on the defensive end of the floor, and that can be accredited to players like Amen Thompson and Dillon B

There is still time before the NBA trade deadline for the Rockets to go all in on a move that could deliver them a title.

In a league that requires playoff scars to survive the championship gauntlet of four playoff rounds, the Rockets have none, and any team that has been there before will reveal theirs in a seven-game series. Houston, more than any other team, is one piece away from serious title contention.

In a game that saw the Rockets take a 19-point lead, Cleveland was able to tie the contest. Darius Garland at the free throw line with the chance to tie the game with 1:51 left in the contest, a similar situation to Wednesday’s matchup with Houston. Instead of missing two, Garland sank them both at the charity stripe to bring the game even at 124.

Alperen Şengün is a Turkish professional basketball player born on July 25, 2002, in Giresun, Turkey. He plays as a center for the Houston Rockets in the NBA and represents the Turkish national team.