Credit: X
Houston Rockets big man Alperen Sengun dedicated his career-high 45-point performance against San Antonio Spurs to teammate Tari Eason, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his left leg. Sengun's stellar effort which included 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks, helped the Rockets register a 114-101 victory at the Toyota Centre and end San Antonio’s two-game winning streak.
After the Turkish 21-year-old magical triple-double, the centre had a special message for Tari Eason. Speaking in the post-game interview, Sengun dedicated his performance to the former LSU Tiger and wished him a quick recovery. Responding to this heartwarming comment, Tari Eason and his mother got emotional.
Tari Eason gets emotional after Alperen Sengun's message
Sengun said, “I'm sending this game for Tari Eason. I love him. He's gonna come back stronger, we need him.” The number 17th draft pick called his teammate, "Alpy's a real one." Check out the video here:
Once the pain got too high, he shut it down: Ime Udoka on Eason's injury
Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka confirmed Tari Eason will have season-ending surgery on his left leg, who has been out since January 1. Eason has only played in 22 games this season and was dealing with benign growth on his left shin bone.
"He had obviously been going through some things through the year and had a benign growth on the shin bone, the tibia I think," Udoka told the Houston Chronicle. "Took that blow early in the season. Flared up. He played through it with some pain. Never had a chance of fracturing. It was a pain tolerance thing. Once the pain got too high, he shut it down."
