Alperen Sengun Cleared to Return, Saving Rockets Fans from a Weekend of Panic

Alperen Sengun is officially off the injury report for Saturday, meaning the collective blood pressure of Houston Rockets fans can finally return to a normal, slightly elevated baseline.

According to Underdog NBA, the star center's back tightness is no longer an issue. This is massive news for anyone holding a ticket on Houston or relying on him to anchor their fantasy frontcourt this weekend.

"Underdog NBA reported Sengun is not listed on the injury report for Saturday."

Sengun missed Wednesday's 132-100 blowout win over the Milwaukee Bucks with that lingering back issue, then watched his team drop a 116-111 game to the Dallas Mavericks. For context, missing your offensive hub usually derails a team completely, but Houston managed a chaotic split before getting their guy back.

Back injuries for big men are usually the kind of red flag that makes front offices start nervously checking their draft capital. But Sengun has historically been durable, missing 10 or fewer games in three of his first four seasons. He is not the guy who sits out because the arena air conditioning is blowing too hard.

Now, he gets to step right back into the fire against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. Bettors will want to watch his early minutes to see if the back is truly 100 percent, but if he is fully cleared, expect him to immediately resume his role as the most entertaining passing big man not named Nikola Jokic.