Takeaways: Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun star in controversial Rockets loss

Two nights after Rockets head coach Stephen Silas slammed the postgame podium in frustration over Houston’s lack of effort, his team didn’t get the win they wanted in a 130-128 home loss (box score) to Sacramento. A controversial last-second call decided that.

However, despite blowing a 5-point lead over the final 70 seconds, the collective effort by the Rockets was much improved — and particularly for two of Houston’s critical young building blocks.

Jalen Green came up one point shy of his career-high in scoring, finishing with 41 points on blistering 14-of-22 shooting efficiency (63.6%) and 6-of-9 on 3-pointers (66.7%). He went to the free-throw line nine times on Wednesday night, making seven of those (77.8%).

Meanwhile, fellow second-year prospect Alperen Sengun had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and a career-high 11 assists. The Turkish big man hit 7-of-11 shots (63.6%), 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%), and often served as a facilitator from the high post while finding Green on cuts inside.

In the end, it was perhaps the most frustrating loss of the season for the Rockets (13-42), who still own the NBA’s worst record. On the other side, the Kings (31-23) showed why they remain in the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference. Yet, once the sting subsides, there was clearly lots to like when it came to Houston’s top young talents.

Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interview reaction. Next up for Houston is the start of a three-game road trip on Friday night in Miami, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Central.