Kevin Durant scored 30 points, leading the Houston Rockets to a 126-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. This marks Durant’s second consecutive 30-point game and his tenth of the season, and it was his first such performance with the Rockets following a major trade from Phoenix during the summer. Jabari Smith Jr. contributed significantly with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Amen Thompson added 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The Rockets have now won three games in a row after experiencing a tough stretch where they dropped four of five games on a difficult road trip. For the Pacers, this loss marks their ninth straight, leaving them with the worst record in the NBA at 6-27, compounded by the absence of star player Tyrese Haliburton, who is sidelined for the entire season due to an Achilles injury. The Rockets led by 27 points at the start of the fourth quarter and maintained a 16-point advantage when head coach Ime Udoka decided to clear the bench with 2.5 minutes left in the game. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 23 points, and Aaron Nesmith contributed 14 points, including four three-pointers.
Houston held a 16-point lead at halftime and extended it with a 12-3 run after the break, pushing the score to 78-51 with about 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. During that stretch, Smith nailed two three-pointers, and Durant added four points. The Rockets maintained a 27-point lead midway through the third until the Pacers rallied with a 14-2 run, narrowing the gap to 89-74 with roughly four minutes left in the quarter. Siakam scored six points during this stretch, while Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard finished the run with three-pointers.
However, the Rockets responded with a 16-4 run of their own, highlighted by three-pointers from Reed Sheppard and Dorian Finney-Smith, ultimately leading 105-78 by the start of the fourth quarter. Houston’s Steven Adams, starting in place of All-Star Alperen Sengun, who is out due to calf tightness, recorded eight points and five rebounds before leaving in the third quarter with a sprained right ankle and did not return.
**Upcoming Games:** – Pacers: Host Orlando on Wednesday. – Rockets: Visit Brooklyn on Thursday night.
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