Alperen Sengun Ruled Out Friday as Back Issues Haunt the Rockets

Just when the Houston Rockets looked like they were ready to steamroll the state of Texas, the injury report had to ruin the vibe. Alperen Sengun has officially been ruled out for Friday night's game with a back issue, according to Underdog NBA.

If you were holding a ticket for Sengun to put up his usual stat-sheet-stuffing numbers against the Dallas Mavericks, it is time to pivot. Missing your starting center changes the entire geometry of the floor, and oddsmakers are going to have to scramble to adjust the lines for a Houston offense that suddenly lacks its primary hub.

This is not exactly a new problem for the big man. Sengun dealt with lower back pain earlier this year, and it is the kind of lingering issue that makes front offices sweat through their quarter-zips. When he is right, he is a walking mismatch, averaging 17 points, nearly seven boards, and four assists over his recent stretches.

The timing is brutal for a Houston squad that has been absolutely cooking. They just dropped 132 points on the Milwaukee Bucks and have been stacking wins despite missing Fred VanVleet for the entire season with an ACL tear. You can only survive so many missing rotation pieces before the structural integrity of the roster collapses.

Asking a team to win without their starting point guard is tough. Asking them to do it without their franchise center is like asking a guy to win a drag race in a 2006 Honda Civic with a flat tire. The effort will be there, but the math simply does not work in your favor.

Now all eyes turn to the rest of the weekend. Houston has a quick turnaround with the Oklahoma City Thunder coming to town next. If Sengun is stuck in street clothes for that one too, the Rockets are going to need a minor miracle to keep this hot streak alive.