Lakers' LeBron James goes after Alperen Sengun for 'soft' foul complaint in Game 5 vs. Rockets
Lakers' LeBron James goes after Alperen Sengun for 'soft' foul complaint in Game 5 vs. Rockets originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Los Angeles Lakers may have dropped Game 5 to the Rockets on Wednesday but LeBron James didn’t take lip from Alperen Sengun about foul calls at home.
Houston escaped with a narrow 99–93 victory against the Purple and Gold while James was attempting to close out the first-round tournament series. Instead, the Lakers' lead has been trimmed to 3–2.
Lakers King was visibly frustrated as the Rockets maintained their lead, and a heated exchange with Rockets center Alperen Şengün only added to the tension.
LeBron James puts Alperen Sengun in his place during fourth quarter
Midway through the fourth quarter and trailing by 12, LeBron James drew a foul that sent him to the line. When Sengun complained to officials that it was a "soft" call, James fired back at him hard.
"Nah, not you. Anybody else on your roster but you?" he said , calling out the irony of Sengun complaining to officials since he was the one who frequently got the same calls.
The 41-year-old doubled down, adding, "You don’t say that, you don’t say that. You’re the only person out here who can’t say that. Soft [expletive] tall guy."
Following the trash talk exchange, the Lakers dropped a 11-1 comeback run, cutting Houston’s 13-point lead to 88–85 with about three minutes left. However, rookie Reed Sheppard stopped the momentum by hitting a jumper and stealing the ball from James for a breakaway dunk.
They also had a viral moment in Game 1 where Sengun was seen standing up as King James walked past, which he later clarified was just him "getting something out of his pocket.”
James finished with 25 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals on 9-of-20 shooting. Sengun ended with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The series moves to Houston for Game 6 on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET, airing on Prime Video. While the Lakers hope to finish the series on the road, the Rockets have won two straight and are the favorites to win at home.
