Alperen Sengun has been playing at an All-Star level this season, and he recently took the Houston Rockets to the semifinals of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas. Although the Rockets fell 111-96 in one of their worst performances of the season, this young team proved that they are once again a force in the Western Conference. As long as Sengun is on the floor, this group has the potential to beat any team they run into.
While Houston has been resting since their loss on Sunday to Oklahoma City, Sengun finds himself on the injury report ahead of NBA action resuming on Thursday. With the New Orleans Pelicans coming to town, the last thing the Rockets want is to start off their post-NBA Cup journey with a loss to the worst team record-wise in the West.
Due to his appearance on the injury report, many are now asking, “Is Alperen Sengun playing against the Pelicans on Thursday night?”
Alperen Sengun injury status vs. Pelicans

After suffering a gruesome-looking leg injury that ended his 2023-24 campaign, Sengun has started and played in all 26 games for the Rockets to this point in the season. Coming off their run to the semifinals of the NBA Cup, Houston finds themselves with a 17-9 record, just 3.5 games behind the Thunder for the top spot in the West standings.
Sengun has been the driving force behind the Rockets' success this season, yet he finds himself on the injury report ahead of Thursday's game with what is being labeled as left knee soreness. As a result, Sengun is questionable to play against the Pelicans.
It is also worth noting that Steven Adams and Tari Eason are also questionable to play against the Pelicans due to their appearances on the Rockets' injury report, leaving their status up in the air for this game as well. Houston could be extremely thin in the frontcourt if all three players are unable to go.
This season, Sengun is averaging 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor. Despite his scoring and shooting numbers decreasing from a season ago, Sengun looks a lot more confident in his abilities to be a lead playmaker and facilitator for the Rockets' offense. That is why he should be a heavy favorite to be a first-time All-Star in San Francisco this season.
In the event that Sengun is unable to play on Thursday, the Rockets will likely play through their backcourt with Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green leading the way. Green is the team's leading scorer this season, averaging 19.0 points per game but shooting just 39.5 percent from the floor.
So, when it comes to the question of whether Alperen Sengun is playing on Thursday against the Pelicans, his status will be updated later in the day by the Rockets.