In most scenarios, NBA players try to avoid using injuries as an excuse when their play slips, or improved health as a key factor when their production ticks up..

In Alperen Şengün’s case, he had to admit the obvious.

“To be honest, I had some lower back issues,” the Houston Rockets center said after Sunday’s blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans. “My lower back is coming back stronger. We’re at the point where I need to get stronger.”

Based on the numbers he’s putting up or just by the way he’s moving around on the court, it’s fairly obvious that Şengün has been a different player since returning from a two-game absence a few weeks ago as he dealt with lingering lower back pain.

That made it even more concerning when the All-Star big man left the floor during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s 119-113 win over the Milwaukee Bucks and headed to the locker room while reaching for his back.

Given how much injuries have altered this Rockets season, Şengün going down again with only six games remaining in the regular season would’ve been brutal. But he tried to quiet any concerns about his health after the game.

“It’s good,” Şengün told reporters. “Not bad. It’s a back-to-back … got hit a little bit, but I’ll be all right.”

Having a healthy, aggressive Şengün on the floor has been one of the biggest reasons Houston (47-29) has looked so reenergized during its current four-game winning streak, and even more so during the nine games Şengün has played since his two-game absence. During that nine-game stretch, Şengün is averaging 23.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 63.4 percent from the floor. He’s making quicker decisions and not hesitating to attack when he has a mismatch down in the post.

He’s also back to facilitating at a high level in the middle of the floor. When he’s scoring a lot, it forces defenses to send more attention his way. That only makes it easier for him to spray passes to shooters on the perimeter or to find Amen Thompson on lobs as he’s gliding toward the rim.

Şengün’s efficiency as a scorer has also improved tremendously. In the 20 games before he rested his back, he was shooting 48.3 percent from the floor — disturbingly low for a player who takes most of his shots around the basket. Şengün wasn’t making the strong moves to the basket that make him such a tough player to defend. He was relying way too much on the finesse side of his game, rather than overpowering smaller players and getting to the rim.

If Şengün can keep playing at this level, the Rockets are going to be a much bigger threat in the playoffs. Kevin Durant has performed at an elite level all season. If Houston enters a series against the Los Angeles Lakers or Denver Nuggets confident that both its best players will perform at a superstar level, that changes the equation significantly.

The Achilles’ heel for the Rockets all season has been their tendency to stall on offense when the game slows down. Once defenses pick up their aggression and take the ball away from Durant, the Rockets have repeatedly failed to find a solution.

As of late, with Şengün punishing defenses the way he has, that strategy hasn’t been as successful.

“He’s doing everything,” Rockets forward Tari Eason said. “He’s being what we need (from) him to be the best team we can be. He’s making all the right plays. He’s getting us into actions. He’s being more vocal on the court, trying to step in as more of a leader. What I see from Alpi is a huge jump.”

The two-man game with Durant and Şengün has gone through some ups and downs this season. As effective as it’s been at times, it has also produced too many turnovers and failed possessions, particularly late in games.

The chemistry between the two stars has finally started to blossom lately, and that has lifted everyone around them. The Rockets have tried to emphasize playing with a faster pace and utilizing more off-ball movement to create space for Durant and Şengün. But more than anything, the two of them have done a better job reading each other and simplifying some of the plays they go against overaggressive defenses.

The turnovers have plummeted lately. Over the last three games, Houston has averaged just 8.6 turnovers per game and recorded 10 or fewer turnovers three games in a row for the first time all season. This group only has six games with nine or fewer turnovers all year — and two of them have come in the last three games.

The other obvious area of improvement has been Durant’s comfort in making the right pass to Şengün when he sees the double-team coming.

Durant has accounted for 41 assists over his last five outings, including four games with eight or more, and 13 of those assists went to Şengün. Those don’t even account for the quick passes to Şengün, which immediately turn into lobs to the cutting Thompson.

This action is Houston’s bread-and-butter play, and when the offense can produce multiple easy looks for Thompson, it means everything is clicking how it’s supposed to.

Despite some rocky moments throughout the season, all signs point to the synergy between Houston’s two best players being on an upward trajectory.

“They’ve developed that throughout the season,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “You kind of have to pick your poison: step up on Kevin and open up the pocket for (Şengün) or switch it and one of them probably has a mismatch. We’ve got to improve on playing against the blitz and making the right plays in the pocket. When you see Alperen being that decisive and making the right read every time, you’re encouraged by it.”

Another interesting wrinkle Şengün has thrown into his game as of late has been an increase in his 3-point volume. After making just 29 3-pointers through his first 58 appearances this season, Şengün is shooting 10-of-18 from deep over the last nine games, including his stellar performance Sunday against New Orleans in which he went 5-of-7.

It was just the second time in his career that he’s made five or more 3-pointers in a game. The first was when he went 5-of-8 from deep in his team’s double-overtime thriller against the Oklahoma City Thunder to open the season.

Although he has been hesitant to let those shots fly in the past, the more he can add the 3-point shot to his repertoire, the more difficult it’ll be for bigger defenders to stay in front of him.

“It just opens my game because I can dribble inside too. I can create some plays,” Şengün said. “Hopefully, I can improve my 3-pointer (for) next season, so it can open my game and help my teammates.”

Doing the work to add more pieces to his game will be pivotal as Şengün develops his partnership with Durant. But they don’t have time to look to the future. The playoffs are right around the corner, and Houston has to do what it takes to get the most out of them now.