The Houston Rockets lost a crucial game to the Lakers on Monday night, which dropped them further behind L.A. for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference. The Lakers now have a 1 ½-game lead over the Rockets, who have gone just 5-5 in their last 10 games. They also hold a slim half-game lead over the Nuggets and Timberwolves, who are closing in on Houston’s No. 4 spot in the West.
Monday night’s loss was a result of a stagnant offense by the Rockets, a fault Kevin Durant was more than willing to take the blame for after the game.
“I just felt like I lost the game for us tonight,” Durant said. “It’s that simple. Of course we probably could make more 3s, but it’s on me. I mean, to be honest, I’m the offense and the opposing team is going to use all their resources and not let me get comfortable.
It was an uncharacteristic night for Durant, who finished with just 18 points while committing seven turnovers. Credit to the Lakers, who swarmed Durant with two defenders most of the night, forcing others on Houston’s team to beat them. It worked, even with Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson combining for 41 points.
“First half, I got comfortable in iso, comfortable coming off of pindowns, pick-and-rolls, and they decided not to let me get comfortable no more,” Durant said. “So I got to be smarter, better with the ball. I got to maybe shoot over some of them double-teams, but space out, be ready to catch and shoot, be ready to be a screener, just be in a dunker spot, just being able to be there as a resource for my teammates to provide space. I didn’t need to have the ball as much as I did tonight.”
Durant was held to just two points in the second half, an eye-popping stat given how easily he’s normally able to get any bucket he wants. But he and the Rockets were out of sorts in that second half. The Lakers defensive gameplan in forcing the ball out of Durant’s hands worked, and without Alperen Sengun, who sat out with lower back pain, Houston struggled to generate points.
“I just feel like it just makes us stagnant,” Durant said. “When I come across half (court), and then they waited on me to drive, but I know they’re coming to double, so I wait a split-second. I just think the whole process is too slow. And I just think that it’s all on me, because the team, when they see me, it just feels like one-on-five, to be honest. You know what I’m saying? Because I see two guys coming up out the corner to help at the elbows and guys at the boxes. It’s almost like a zone when I get the ball up top. When I try to post up anywhere, it’s going to be double-teams. So I’m just trying to find out ways to open myself up, open my teammates up.”
The Rockets not having a reliable enough ball-handler to shoulder the playmaking responsibility with Durant has been a concern all season. It was always going to be a weakness after Fred VanVleet was ruled out for the season, and the Rockets never fully addressed that need. Thompson has taken strides in his development as a secondary ball-handler, but it’s clear the Rockets need a more established presence in the backcourt to help sort things out when opponents are sending doubles at Durant.
Monday night served as the perfect answer key on how to slow down the Rockets. It’s a game plan that opposing teams will certainly use when the playoffs start, and could wind up being the downfall for Houston’s championship aspirations.
