Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant clarified why he went “rogue” during a key late-game possession involving teammate Amen Thompson in the team’s 117–113 overtime win over the Orlando Magic last Sunday. Durant addressed the moment during an appearance on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, explaining the decision that circulated widely on social media.
Durant’s comments came in response to Adams asking about the sequence in which Thompson approached to set a screen, only for Durant to wave him off to isolate against Orlando’s second-year forward Tristan da Silva in a one-on-one situation.
“Once I go rouge like that. We’re a new team this is our first 15 games with each other. They haven’t seen me go rouge that often. You know I do go rouge,” Durant said. “But at the end of the game I kind of, in that moment, it was like, alright I got it now. K is just going to take him off the dribble. So he gets it now. And there'll be times he just be like, ‘I got it.’ and I’ll be sitting over there like okay go get it. That’s just normal man, that's what we do.”
Durant finished with 35 points, six assists, five rebounds and a block while shooting 13-for-24 and 7-for-7 at the free-throw line across 45 minutes. Thompson added 12 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in 39 minutes, contributing strong defense and activity inside while shooting 4-for-13.
Rockets’ rising trio fuels win streak as Kevin Durant prepares for return to Phoenix
Houston has carried that momentum into its latest stretch, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 114–104 on Wednesday to extend its win streak to five games and improve to 10–3. The surge has been fueled by Durant’s scoring and shot creation, Thompson’s defensive versatility and playmaking, and the continued rise of Alperen Sengun.
Durant, in his first season with the Rockets, has taken on a leadership role for a roster rebuilt around his experience and complemented by Sengun’s expanding responsibilities and Thompson’s growth. The late-game sequence against Orlando highlighted how the group is still learning each other’s tendencies as they settle into their early-season identity.
Houston resumes its NBA Cup schedule Friday night when it hosts the Denver Nuggets (11–3) at 9:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video. That matchup precedes a challenging four-game road trip with multiple storylines tied to Durant’s past.
The trip begins Monday with Durant’s first return to Phoenix since being traded from the Suns in a seven-team offseason deal. Phoenix enters at 9–6. On Wednesday, the Rockets will travel to face the Golden State Warriors (9–8) at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN, marking another reunion for Durant, who won two championships across three seasons with the franchise.
