Utah Jazz Leaned on One Player to Limit Kevin Durant vs. Rockets

It's never a simple task when it comes to stopping Kevin Durant.

Even during year 18 suiting up in the league, Durant is consistently a problem for opposing defenses on a nightly basis, and has shown through his initial sample size that hasn't slowed down much at all since his arrival with the Houston Rockets for this season, averaging over 25 points per game on 48.9% shooting from the field.

But during the Utah Jazz's latest back-to-back against the Rockets, Will Hardy and his young roster made it a bit tougher than usual for Durant to have his usual dominance. He did have 32 points, but it came off of 25 shots and 40% shooting from the field, and just 2-7 from three.

The defensive game plan was one that Jazz head coach Will Hardy credited towards defending him as a team, but also keeping his drives to the basket limited in order to force a tougher shot.

"I think as a team, we did a good job of appropriately showing a crowd, then cutting off some of his drives and making him shoot some tough pull ups over the top," Hardy said postgame. "Kevin Durant's one of the best scorers I've ever seen. He's capable of making crazy shots."

Yet, in the midst of detailing how the Jazz wound up defending Durant, Hardy made sure to give special praise to one standout that might've taken on the assignment better than anyone: second-year big man Kyle Filipowski, who held his ground on a defensive task he hasn't seen much in his career so far.

"I thought Flip did a really good job on him. I think Flip had a lot of really good possessions on Kevin Durant tonight, even in some moments where he had to navigate screens," Hardy continued. "That is not something that Flip has worked on a ton in terms of navigating ball screens with somebody like Kevin Durant handling... Flip, in particular, did a really good job on Durant."

"It does take a team to guard him, and maybe it stands out because that's not a situation we've had, Flip in a ton, but it definitely shows growth for him."

Will Hardy Credits Kyle Filipowski for Holding Kevin Durant

Dec 1, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) controls the ball against Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

More well-known for his offensive prowess and ability to be a playmaker and scorer, Flip has yet to really been tasked with the challenging assignments on the other end like he had against the Rockets, and for Hardy, he showed up in a big way.

Filipowski also made his usual dent on the other end as well– posting 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in 29 minutes, shooting an effective 50% from the floor and 40% from three.

In terms of taking on the challenge defensively and contributing well on the offensive end, it turned out to be one of the better nights of Filipowski's sophomore campaign thus far, and in turn, helped as a critical component of the Jazz flipping the script for the second night of a tough back-to-back.

The more Filipowski is able to take on defensive assignments like Durant and other versatile scorers in the frontcourt, the better this Jazz defense will look as a collective, and for Filipowski individually, could certainly help him find his way to a few more minutes because of it.

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