{
  "id": 17142870,
  "title": "Rockets upgrade status of Alperen Sengun and Marcus Smart for Friday's game",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/rockets-upgrade-status-of-alperen-sengun-and-marcus-smart-for-fridays",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-29T23:27:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rockets-upgrade-status-alperen-sengun-232708097.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Houston Rockets have bolstered the status of key players Alperen Sengun and Marcus Smart for their upcoming Friday matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. Sengun, who has been battling lower back soreness, has been upgraded ahead of the game, moving him from questionable to probable. Marcus Smart, sidelined due to a forearm strain, has also been upgraded from questionable to probable, having only played in two of the Rockets' five games so far. Reed Sheppard is still out of the lineup due to lower back issues, and veteran center Steven Adams remains sidelined. The Mavericks face uncertainties of their own, with Naji Marshall listed as questionable due to illness, Santi Aldama and Tarik Biberovic as doubtful, and rookie point guard Sergio De Larrea ruled out with a knee sprain. The Rockets' rapid start to the 2026-27 season, currently standing at 5-0, is largely attributed to Sengun's contributions, alongside the return of veteran point guard Fred VanVleet.",
  "summary": "Alperen Sengun and Marcus Smart are one step closer to returning for the Houston Rockets ahead of their matchup Friday versus the Dallas Mavericks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}