Photo: Houston Rockets/X

Houston Rockets were dealt an early blow Saturday night when center Alperen Sengun went down with a lateral sprain to his right ankle barely a minute into the game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Sengun was unable to continue and was officially ruled out for the rest of the contest, which ultimately ended in a Houston loss, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.

The injury comes at an unfortunate time for Sengun, who had only recently worked his way back into the lineup after missing time with a left soleus, or calf, strain.

The Turkish center, coming off his first All-Star selection last season, had been ramping up his workload before the setback.

Houston’s frontcourt depth was already stretched thin, as backup center Steven Adams missed his second straight game with his own right ankle sprain, further limiting the Rockets’ options in the middle as they navigated the matchup shorthanded.

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