The Houston Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in back-to-back meetings, going 4-6 in their last 10 games. Kevin Durant and company will need to regroup quickly if they want to avoid missing the playoffs.
The Rockets had no answer for the duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James on Wednesday as they held off the Lakers for a 124-116 win at Toyota Center.
Los Angeles outscored Houston 35–24 in the fourth quarter, earning its seventh consecutive win and making the score 44–25.
Kevin Durant was held to just 18 points on 11 shots. He had six rebounds, four assists and two steals. The Athletic's Law Murray pointed to a rare example involving Durant.
"Four Rockets attempted more field goals than Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter tonight vs. the Lakers," Murray wrote on X.
"They're a tribute to the 2024 (Phoenix) Suns."
Durant had only two shots in the final period, with Alpern Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason all having more attempts.
During his tenure with the Suns, Durant often shared contact with Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, and Eric Gordon. The two-time Finals MVP averaged 18.5 attempts in Phoenix.
However, as The Athletic's Will Guillory reports, Durant didn't make a big issue of his lack of shots in the final quarter against the Lakers.
"It's a team game. I'm getting two shots, it doesn't matter. We've had six guys with double-digit shot attempts, and guys were pretty efficient tonight as well. I don't think it's a talking point," the veteran forward said.
He averages 17.7 attempts with the Rockets.
They'll look to bounce back on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.
