Sengun has 25 points and 14 rebounds as Houston Rockets hold on for 109-97 win over Knicks

HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets held on for a 109-97 win over the New York Knicks on Monday night.

Houston led by 15 points early before the Knicks got within one late in the fourth quarter. But Sengun, who was guarded by Karl-Anthony Towns, scored 10 points in the final period to help the Rockets put it away.

Fred VanVleet added 19 points for Houston and Jalen Green had 15.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 29 points and OG Anunoby added 21. Towns had 17 points and a season-high 19 rebounds.

Knicks: New York needs to do a better job of scoring inside with Towns. The Knicks were outscored 62-38 in the paint as their two-game winning streak was snapped.

Rockets: Houston did a good job of getting several players involved offensively. Four starters finished in double figures and Amen Thompson added 12 points off the bench. But they need to find a way to be more consistent throughout games. They squandered a double-digit lead Monday before pulling away late, a game after falling behind by 31 points early before losing to the Warriors in OT Saturday night.

The Rockets led by three before a soaring, two-handed dunk by Thompson followed by a 3 from Green made it 105-97 with less than a minute to go.

The Rockets won despite making just 8 of 33 3-pointers. Green started out 0 for 6 and was 2 of 8 and VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. each made just 1 of 5 attempts.

The Knicks visit the Hawks on Wednesday night and the Rockets host the Spurs that night.

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New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) loses the ball as he tries to push a shot up between Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5), center Alperen Sengun, center back, and guard Jalen Green (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) attempts to drive around New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, left, tries to pass the ball as Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson, right, reaches in during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Rockets center Steven Adams, left, knocks away the rebound from New York Knicks center Jericho Sims (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) puts up a shot as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, right, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket around Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cooper Flagg felt nerves and excitement ahead of his highly anticipated regular-season debut for No. 7 Duke in its famed Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coming out of the tunnel to see the opponent wearing the jersey of his home-state program — one with long ties to his family — added a little extra feeling.

The nation's No. 1-ranked recruit and preseason Associated Press All-American had 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one flashy dunk to help the Blue Devils beat Maine 96-62 on Monday night.

It came against a program where his mother played basketball, where the Newport, Maine, native went to games while he was growing up about 30 minutes away from the campus. And where his brother Ace — who was sitting behind the Black Bears bench while their parents sat behind the Duke sideline — will play next year.

“I think even for me, it was a little more emotional walking out seeing the Maine across their chest,” Cooper Flagg said. “Obviously, that’s a team that I grew up watching when I was young. Seeing them gave me a lot more emotions and knowing it was the first real game. It was definitely a high-emotion game for me, but I was able to just take it in stride and handle business.”

The 6-foot-9 forward didn’t have a hot-shooting start to a career that is all but certain to be a single-year stopover on the way to the NBA as a possible No. 1 overall pick. But he turned in an all-around floor game that had him making plays on the glass, as a facilitator and bringing the ball up in transition all the same.

He made 6 of 15 shots in his roughly 30 minutes of work, making all six of his free throws but missing all four of his 3-point shots — including a couple in the first half that either rolled or rattled out. But he also glided across the court to make his presence felt within the flow of the game, including a pair of waved-off finishes after the whistle that would have counted as and-1s with continuation rules at the next level.

“I thought he was close to having 25 tonight honestly, with some of those finishes, a couple of open shots," said Duke coach Jon Scheyer, who outdueled two-time reigning national champion UConn to land Flagg. "That’s going to fall. I think the thing that’s exiting for me watching him is just how he makes everybody better and how he plays every possession.”

Indeed, beyond the assists that came either with high-low entries to 7-foot-2 freshman Khaman Maluach or by skipping the ball across the defense, Flagg also drew eight of Maine's 19 team fouls on the night as a matchup problem for the America East program. He also showed plenty of zip, at one point diving on the floor for a steal after knocking the ball loose near halfcourt — with Duke up 29 points with about four minutes left.

“He just goes out and has fun and plays basketball,” junior point guard Tyrese Proctor said. “He doesn't overcomplicate his game. He just makes the right play and it's really fun to play with.”

Flagg's first college points came on free throws, his first field goal on a stickback with 6:25 before halftime. And yes, there was an impressive move that the “Cameron Crazies” — and anyone else ready to dissect Flagg's every move — were ready to see when Flagg dribbled around defender Quion Burns, curled into the paint and took off from just outside the charge circle to throw down a full-extension dunk with his right hand.

Flagg's night ended abruptly when he landed awkwardly in traffic on the baseline and stayed down with 3:28 left due to cramps, with trainer Jose Fonseca coming over to briefly work on his left leg. But Flagg soon hobbled back to the bench to watch the final minutes while chugging from a Gatorade water battle.

Afterward, Scheyer said he was glad to hear that Flagg could “admit and say he was emotional” about playing against Maine with all the ties to the program. And to listen to Black Bears coach Chris Markwood, the feeling was mutual in being on hand for the next step of Flagg's “storybook” journey from small-town Maine to one of college basketball's famed arenas.

“I think we're a little bit in awe because you just don't see it happen a lot in the state of Maine," Markwood said. "He's got a whole state behind him. Everybody is just cheering him along and can't wait to watch everything he does.”

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Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) dives for a loose ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maine in Durham, N.C., Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) dunks on a fast break during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maine in Durham, N.C., Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)