In the first half of the Houston Rockets' 100-92 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, things were going pretty routine for superstar Kevin Durant. He scored 16 points in the first 24 minutes of the game as the Rockets took a six-point lead at 57–51. But at least it can be said that Durant's sophomore season did not go according to plan.
The Lakers mixed up their coverage on Durant, as he challenged other Rockets players to beat him. After Alperen Sengun's exit, this appeared to be a more viable strategy than ever. And it worked; Durant was held scoreless for the first 23 or so minutes of the second half, with his only two points during this period coming with just 30 seconds remaining in the game.
This disappearing act was nerve-wracking for one of the NBA's best scorers, and as a result, he received some hearty mockery on social media – especially from bettors.
X user @DoYourHomeworkJ wrote, "What Kevin Durant just did is criminal, he's crazy. Watching it at halftime I was like yes, this shit is easy. This guy had 0 points in the second half. A 2 point shot with 30 seconds left doesn't count you're terrible."
@KimCarloCastro said, "Durant is being praised and lauded only because he got scared of the double team. And scored just 2 wasted points in the second half."
@KingSenay added, "Kevin Durant only scored 2 points in an entire half of close games? You can't tell me these players are paid."
@PayMe_inPizza expressed, "Kevin Durant Hamburger Helper Hair is gonna talk about our bullshit too. You sold us out for a few more bucks, you scored 2 points in the entire second half. You're the fuck king, you're an idiot, you're an idiot."
The Lakers deserve credit for locking up Durant, but rational basketball sense never mattered to bettors who lost out on a spectacular pay day.
