Rockets Sputter Amid Kevin Durant's Shooting Woes, Suffer Critical Loss to Lakers

Houston's star player failed to show up in the second half, but the team couldn't pick up the slack against Los Angeles, who tied the season series.

Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Against Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James, any sort of low-scoring performance is a death sentence. That was the case for the Houston Rockets on Monday, who barely notched 90 points in a 100-92 loss.

The Rockets needed this game badly. Not only because they've been inconsistent throughout March (4-4 record), but also due to the Lakers tying up the season series (1-1) with this victory. Los Angeles now owns the third seed in the Western Conference, up 1.5 games on Houston.

Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) dribbles the ball as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The two will face off for the final time on Wednesday night, which will decide the tiebreaker should these teams finish with the same overall record.

Monday night featured yet another game in which the Rockets struggled to produce any sort of efficient offense. Like opponents have done all season long, Houston's committee of 'point guards' was pressured as soon as they crossed half-court. It resulted in 22 turnovers to the Lakers' 11.

Lakers working to switch and show early help to bog the Rockets down. LeBron is on Amen Thompson and showing early help. Switch on the handoff. KD gets the ball and the Lakers working to shrink the floor. pic.twitter.com/zXRxYl6wrf

— Steve Jones (@stevejones20) March 17, 2026

Los Angeles played a bit of a sloppy game as well, but in clutch time, the visitors were simply better. Kevin Durant, who led the Rockets in the first half with 16 points, managed just two in the final 24 minutes. It rubbed off on the rest of the rotation, as Houston managed just four points in the final six minutes and 12 in the fourth quarter.

For a good chunk of the game, the Rockets found the right shots when the ball wasn't getting poked loose. They shot 26 three-pointers, knocking down just five (19%). Inside the arc, they went 62.2%.

None of this is new, but Monday night was such a pivotal matchup that it only accentuates Houston's shooting woes. Durant still shot 8-for-16 from the field, which only shows just how much the team relies on him to build a lead. His 16 first-half points came on 7-for-11 shooting.

Austin Reaves steal, LeBron James slam dunk.

GAME OVER. pic.twitter.com/Ps9UGN3Jiv

— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) March 17, 2026

In Houston's 37th clutch game of the season (now 18-19 in such contests), the team committed four turnovers and shot 25% from the field, making just one three-pointer on eight attempts. As much as the Rockets managed to grab four offensive rebounds in that stretch and 15 on the night, nothing seemed to fall.

It speaks to the roster construction more than it does the coaching or the ability of the players. Houston had the chance to make a change at the trade deadline after the lack of a true point and shooting became abundantly clear earlier in the season.

Alas, the Rockets were one of three teams that did not make a trade this season, and riding out this roster has only brought more concern among fans and analysts.

Durant was brought onto the team to relieve pressure from the young core in tight situations. However, he cannot be solely relied on.