ROCKETS WIN!
Alperen Sengun powers Rockets past Jazz with 33-point night
Mar 28, 2025, 1:35 pm
The Rockets beat the Jazz 121-110. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Alperen Sengun had 33 points and 10 rebounds, Amen Thompson finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 121-110 on Thursday night.
The Rockets have a two-game lead over the third-place Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings with a little more than two weeks left in the regular season.
Jalen Green added 21 points and Tari Eason scored 15 for Houston.
Collin Sexton led Utah with 21 points. Keyonte George scored 17, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski had 16 apiece and Brice Sensabaugh added 15.
Takeaways
Rockets: The game began an eight-game stretch for the Rockets that includes only two home contests as they seek to hold off the Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis for the Western Conference’s No. 2 playoff seed.
Jazz: While Utah lost for the 14th time in 15 games, Collier has provided some reason for hope by scoring well above his season average lately. Two nights after scoring 21 points against Memphis, Collier had 16 more while shooting 7 of 12.
Key moment
After Sexton sank a 3-pointer to cut the Rockets’ lead to 105-102 with 3:36 left, Thompson scored 18 seconds later to spark a 6-0 run that gave the Rockets some breathing room.
Key stat
Houston outrebounded Utah 58-40 — 18-3 on the offensive glass — and had a 30-8 advantage in second-chance points.
Up next
The Rockets play the Suns in Phoenix on Sunday. The Jazz kick off a five-game road trip Friday when the play the Denver Nuggets.
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Astros show signs of life in blowout win over Brewers
May 7, 2025, 3:25 pm
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a strained muscle at the top of his right hand, a diagnosis that instills optimism he won’t have a prolonged stay on the injured list.
The three-time All-Star went on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Saturday, and returned to Houston for an MRI that revealed the muscle strain.
“We look at it as good news,” Astros manager Joe Espada said before their Wednesday afternoon game with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Espada expressed hope that Alvarez wouldn’t have to stay on the injured list longer than the required 10 days. He also said the hand issue may have played a role in Alvarez’s slow start.
Alvarez, 27, is hitting .210 with a .306 on-base percentage, three homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games this season. He batted .308 with a .392 on-base percentage, 35 homers and 86 RBIs in 147 games last year while ranking ninth in the AL Most Valuable Player balloting.
He has posted an OPS of at least .959 and has finished 13th or higher in the MVP voting each of the last three seasons.
“Once he heals, once he gets back, I think we’ll see a more aggressive at bat and be not as cautious,” Espada said. “I think it had something to do with it, yes.”
His potential return could go a long way toward boosting an Astros lineup that hasn’t been as productive as usual this season. The Astros entered Wednesday’s action ranked 21st in the majors in runs (136) and 23rd in OPS (.676). Houston has ranked 11th or better in both those categories each of the last four seasons.