
Kevin Durant blunders cost Rockets in double-overtime defeat over Thunder – Kevin Durant was all the Houston Rockets desired throughout most of his debut with the team when taking on the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Durant helped lead the Rockets in a double-overtime thriller against the Thunder, but fell short in the closing seconds of the 125-124 loss. He finished 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists for Houston in 47 minutes of play. Durant also hit 9-of-16 from the field, but went 0-for-4 from the three-point line, turned the ball over four times and got six fouls. Kevin Durant blunders cost Rockets in double-overtime defeat over Thunder
Kevin Durant’s overtime errors
Durant’s last foul occurred in the waning seconds of the second overtime period just after he delivered a third assist of the game, handing the ball to Alperen Sengun with 11 seconds left. It would’ve been the game-winning bucket, but Durant played the dangerous game of fouling reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and sent him to the line, where he secured the game. Kevin Durant blunders cost Rockets in double-overtime defeat over Thunder
It was the eighth time that Durant had fouled out of a game in his NBA career. The extra period was not kind to Durant, proving that even a veteran could make some blunders under duress. He messed up trying to call a timeout at the end of the first overtime period when Houston didn’t have one remaining, but the refs didn’t call it. While it didn’t cost the Rockets the game, it did lead to some taunting on social media.
Kevin Durant begins a new path with Rockets
Whether Durant had his mind set on playing the spoiler against his former team on Oklahoma City’s “ring night” and banner raising ceremony, he helped to Houston’s scoring output with 14 of his 23 points coming in the first half. Durant joined the Rockets in the offseason after he was at the center of a seven-team trade. Earlier this week, he agreed to a two-year, $90 million deal extension with the Rockets, according to ESPN. The deal was supposed to contain a player option for the 2027-28 season. The future Hall of Famer has now spent time with five different organizations over his 18-year career, including the Thunder.
Durant, who played collegiately at the University of Texas, scored just two points in the early minutes of his NBA debut with a Texas-based team before completing off the opening quarter with eight points, while hearing boos from the OKC fan base that had applauded him. And Durant had some fun with the fans before tip-off, humorously repeating the booing audience. Kevin Durant blunders cost Rockets in double-overtime defeat over Thunder
Durant, who played collegiately at the University of Texas, scored just two points in the early minutes of his NBA debut with a Texas-based team before completing off the opening quarter with eight points, while hearing boos from the OKC fan base that had applauded him. And Durant had some fun with the fans before tip-off, humorously repeating the booing audience. He sat out a piece of the second quarter before returning the game at the midway point to increase the Rockets’ lead, scoring back-to-back jumpers to put his total at 12 points with 2:15 left in the second quarter. Kevin Durant blunders cost Rockets in double-overtime defeat over Thunder