WASHINGTON – Feisty Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets are in Washington on Monday night (Tuesday morning, Singapore time) to take on the sagging Wizards.
Houston, third in the Western Conference, are coming off a 115-105 loss at Miami on Saturday. In that contest, Durant and Heat star Tyler Herro had a heated conversation in the first quarter near the Heat bench – resulting in both players getting technical fouls.
Durant, in his 18th season, remains one of the best talkers – and scorers – in the NBA. He leads the Rockets with 26.2 points a game and is shooting 39.9 per cent from three-point range.
“I think we both needed a jolt of energy to start the game. I got respect for Tyler. He has respect for me. I appreciate his competitiveness and vice versa. I am mad we got techs though,” Durant said as he reflected on that game. “It was just talk. I just think it’s a natural part of the game.”
The Rockets will again be counting on his aggression, and his scoring, following his 32 points against Miami.
Looking ahead, Houston will likely be without Jabari Smith Jr. against Washington with an ankle injury. He missed the loss to Miami, leaving a big hole in the middle of the Rockets defence that the Heat exploited.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka knows this is an issue he has to solve, as he pinpointed the lessons he learnt.
“They were the tougher team,” he said. “They put their heads down and got to the basket way too easy. “(They had) 66 points in the paint, and with individual defence, we didn’t stand up tough enough.”
Washington are a different opponent, however. They have lost seven of their last nine games and are deep in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Wizards brought in Trae Young and Anthony Davis at the trade deadline, but Davis will definitely not play this season while Young has yet to play due to dealing with a knee injury. The team have also been without No. 2 overall 2024 pick Alex Sarr for the last two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Rookie guard Jamir Watkins has been eating up minutes for Washington and has scored in double figures in his last seven games, including 10 on 4-of-5 shooting in Saturday’s loss to Toronto.
“This is what this is all about, learning about these guys,” said Wizards coach Brian Keefe when asked about Watkins. “We’re seeing what he can do under pressure. I was really impressed with what he did.”
Keefe also praised the recent performance by second-year big man Tristan Vukcevic, who has started five of the last six games.
“I think he’s made a big jump this year,” he said. “He’s in the top percentile in terms of disrupting the game with steals and blocks. When you’re a big man, you are doing so much helping (on defence) then coming back to rebound. That shows part of his growth.”
Washington’s main issue has been on the defensive side of the ball where they are allowing 123 points a game, second most in the NBA. Houston are at the opposite end, ranking second in the NBA giving up just 109 points.
Houston has won six games in a row in the series, including a 135-112 win on Nov 12. A win by Houston Monday would tie the all-time series at 82 wins apiece.
Meanwhile in NBA action on Sunday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-87 road win over the Dallas Mavericks.
It was the 123rd consecutive game for Gilgeous-Alexander to score 20 or more points, moving him within three of tying Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record.
Elsewhere, Jalen Brunson scored 25 points as the New York Knicks’ halted San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak with an emphatic 114-89 victory at Madison Square Garden.
In another game, Neemias Queta had a career-high 27 points along with 17 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, to lead the Boston Celtics to a 114-98 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers. REUTERS