"This is your DPOY, LMAO": Alperen Sengun dropping 45 points on Victor Wembanyama has NBA fans berating French phenom

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun demolished Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, leaving fans questioning the French phenom’s defensive chops.

Sengun tallied a career-high 45 points, a season-best 16 rebounds, three assists, a career-best five steals and two 3-pointers on 59.4% shooting. Meanwhile, the Rockets secured a decisive 114-101 home win to end the Spurs’ two-game winning streak.

Despite his dominant play in recent weeks, Wembanyama was thoroughly outplayed by Sengun. The 7-foot-4 rookie finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, seven blocks, two 3-pointers and six turnovers on 40.0% shooting.

Following Wembanyama’s off night, in which he still nearly recorded a triple-double, fans took to X/Twitter to berate him. Many called out the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year candidate for his failure to provide resistance against Sengun.

“SenGod cooked this skinny French fry,” one fan said.

“This is your DPOY, LMAO,” another said.

However, a few fans defended the 2023 No. 1 pick, as he played through a shoulder injury after initially being listed as questionable.

“It’s not that bad, Wemby played with a shoulder injury,” one fan said.

“He was hurt, this doesn’t count,” another said.

Below are some more of the top fan reactions to Sengun’s career-best night against Wembanyama:

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Alperen Sengun sought redemption against Victor Wembanyama after underwhelming during last showdown

After making light work of Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio on Tuesday, Alperen Sengun touched on the motivation behind his career night.

According to the 21-year-old, he was looking to redeem himself after his underwhelming 15-point performance in his last showdown against Wembanyama on Dec. 11.

“Yeah of course,” Sengun said when asked if he was extra motivated on Tuesday. “I didn’t play that good last game against him I can say. I didn't see that many double-teams today. They just left me one-on-one with Wemby, so I just did what I do.”

Tuesday’s win marked the Rockets’ (27-34, 12th in the Western Conference) second straight, inching them closer to the West’s final play-in spot. They sit 5.5 games behind the 10th-placed Golden State Warriors (32-28) with 21 games remaining. Meanwhile, the Spurs (13-49) remain last in the West.

Houston will look to extend its winning streak to three games when it hosts the LA Clippers (39-21) on Wednesday. On the flip side, San Antonio will attempt to bounce back when it visits the Sacramento Kings (34-26) on Thursday.

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