The Houston Rockets fell to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, a defeat that saw Kevin Durant score just two second-half points and commit seven turnovers. Durant took full responsibility, saying he 'lost the game' for his team. The loss solidified the Lakers' position in third place in the Western Conference standings.
The Houston Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, dropping further behind Los Angeles for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference. The Lakers, who have won nine of their last 10 games, now hold a 1 ½-game lead over the Rockets (41-26 record), with the Lakers at 43-25. Houston also maintains a slim half-game lead over the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 4 position, though both teams are closing in. The season series between the teams is now tied 1-1, with one remaining matchup on Wednesday that will determine the tiebreaker, potentially impacting playoff seeding and home-court advantage or avoiding the Oklahoma City Thunder until the conference finals. The regular season ends on April 12, with less than a month until the 2026 NBA playoffs begin. Kevin Durant finished with 18 points but struggled mightily, managing only two points after halftime amid heavy defensive pressure from the Lakers, who often doubled him. He committed seven turnovers as the Rockets' offense became stagnant. Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson combined for 41 points, but it was not enough without center Alperen Sengun, who sat out due to lower back pain. The Rockets have lacked a reliable secondary ball-handler since Fred VanVleet was ruled out for the season. 'I just felt like I lost the game for us tonight,' Durant said. 'It's that simple. ... I'm the offense and the opposing team is going to use all their resources and not let me get comfortable.' He added: '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. So I got to be smarter, better with the ball.' Durant noted the difficulty of facing doubles without proper spacing or support: 'When I come across half (court), and then they waited on me to drive, but I know they're coming to double... it's all on me.' This gameplan could be replicated by playoff opponents, highlighting Houston's backcourt vulnerabilities.
