The Rockets Can Still Lean On Kevin Durant In The Clutch

The Houston Rockets just got another clutch win on the season against the New Orleans Pelicans despite an elite performance from the opposing teams star players. The Rockets held control for much of the game, but they still needed some big time shots at the end of the game to hold on to a late game victory.

With the final shot of the game for the Rockets, the team leaned on their top scorer in Kevin Durant to deliver the win and take the shot that mattered most.

Durant has shown his ability in the clutch throughout the season, taking his signature high degree of difficulty shots and completing them at a high rate. His ability to make those types of shots at the ends of games is invaluable to a team that has some struggles offensively in the clutch.

There were other players on the team who made clutch plays for the Rockets to set up Durant's game-saving, clutch bucket.

Jabari Smith Jr. hit an important three-pointer in the clutch just before Durant's heroics at the end of the game. He was one of the best players on the team after getting the starting nod in Alperen Şengün's absence.

While his three-point shot still wasn't falling at a high rate, he still delivered a big three-pointer at the end of the game to give the Rockets a chance after falling behind with less than a minute remaining.

Amen Thompson also had a big performance throughout the game. He scored over 20 points and made plenty of strong defensive plays. He also had several explosive offensive plays that helped bring some energy to the team.

Reed Sheppard also made a big impact on offense throughout the game, making big shots from deep range and keeping the offense flowing, even without one of the team's main playmaking threats.

Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith were some of the biggest negatives in the starting lineup. Neither could make shots or contribute significantly to the defensive efforts.

However, the most impactful players helped keep things close despite the struggles from members of the starting lineup. Clint Capela also brought some major contributions from the bench.

These factors helped keep the game close and gave Kevin Durant the opportunity to finish the game with a big shot, similar to how he's performed throughout his career.

The key for the Rockets will be keeping these games close, and giving their closer a chance to finish games during critical moments.