{"id":164468,"date":"2025-10-28T09:44:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T13:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=164468"},"modified":"2025-10-28T09:44:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T13:44:31","slug":"kevin-durant-rockets-first-win-nets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/28\/kevin-durant-rockets-first-win-nets\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets Fans Taste Sweet Victory as Durant Faces Former Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time this season, there was reason to smile in Houston. After back-to-back heartbreaks against Oklahoma City and Detroit, the Rockets finally broke through on Monday night, and they did it in emphatic fashion. As Kevin Durant<\/a> faced his former team, the Rockets dismantled the Nets, 137\u2013109, earning their first victory of the 2025\u201326 NBA campaign.<\/p>\n

The game carried extra emotional weight. It marked Durant\u2019s first meeting as a Rocket against the team he helped define, and his new one finally found rhythm. Before a packed Toyota Center crowd, Houston dominated across the board, hitting 57.6% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc while posting 33 assists. Seven different players scored in double figures, a testament to the team\u2019s renewed offensive flow.<\/p>\n

Rockets Fans Taste Sweet Victory as Durant Faces Former Team<\/h2>\n

Few needed a bounce-back night more than Tari Eason<\/a>, and he delivered in spectacular fashion. After averaging just 3.5 points on 27.3% shooting through the first two games, Eason erupted for 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench in just 26 minutes.<\/p>\n

He set the tone early, knocking down five of seven three-pointers, including back-to-back triples during Houston\u2019s 15\u20130 first-quarter run. By halftime, he had already scored 20 points, and his energy helped ignite a Rockets offense that had looked stagnant in the season\u2019s opening stretch.<\/p>\n

Eason\u2019s performance was precisely what Houston needed: a reminder of the depth and versatility of its young core. For head coach Ime Udoka, who has emphasized patience amid early growing pains, it was validation that the Rockets\u2019 second unit can be a legitimate weapon.<\/p>\n

Durant and Sengun Lead the Way<\/h3>\n

While Eason\u2019s hot shooting drew cheers, Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun<\/a> provided the stability. Durant, facing his former team, finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, showcasing efficient midrange play<\/a> and strong ball movement before sitting out most of the second half due to the lopsided score.<\/p>\n

\"Oct
Oct 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) rebounds against the Brooklyn Nets during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sengun, meanwhile, bounced back from a sluggish showing against Detroit, posting 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, along with two made threes. His interior presence complemented Durant perfectly, forcing Brooklyn\u2019s defense to collapse and opening the floor for shooters.<\/p>\n

For Houston, the Durant\u2013Sengun duo<\/a> continues to develop chemistry that could define the team\u2019s offensive identity. Durant\u2019s leadership and Sengun\u2019s evolving versatility are proving to be a potent combination; one capable of dictating tempo and creating mismatches across the court.<\/p>\n

Sheppard Shines, Team Basketball Returns<\/h3>\n

Rookie guard Reed Sheppard<\/a> also had his best night in a Rockets uniform<\/a>, recording 15 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. His confidence and court vision steadied the team\u2019s offense, earning a standing ovation<\/a> after back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter extended the lead to 120\u201391.<\/p>\n

The win marked the kind of complete team effort Houston had been searching for. Amen Thompson<\/a>, who had battled cramps in the previous game, contributed solid minutes, while Josh Okogie<\/a> and Clint Capela<\/a> provided key defensive stops to keep the Nets from mounting a comeback.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn, still winless at 0\u20134, struggled to contain Houston\u2019s pace and ball movement. Terance Mann<\/a> led the Nets with 21 points, but the visitors were overwhelmed on both ends, conceding 42 first-quarter points and never fully recovering.<\/p>\n

The win lifted Houston to 1\u20132 on the season and offered a glimpse of what this roster can be when everything clicks: fluid, unselfish, and dangerous from every angle.<\/p>\n

A Sweet Start to a New Era<\/h3>\n

For Rockets fans, this night felt symbolic. Not only did it bring the first win of the Durant era, but it also came against the team where his career took one of its most turbulent turns. Now, wearing Houston\u2019s red and black, Durant looked at peace: smiling on the bench, cheering for his teammates, and playing a part in a victory that felt like a turning point.<\/p>\n

As the Rockets prepare to visit Toronto on October 29, there\u2019s finally optimism in the air. The offense is taking shape, the defense is tightening, and the team\u2019s chemistry is building with each game.<\/p>\n

Durant’s game against the Nets may have been circled on calendars for emotional reasons, but it ended as something far more important: a statement that these Rockets are learning, growing, and ready to make noise in the West.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Erik Williams-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the first time this season, there was reason to smile in Houston. After back-to-back heartbreaks against Oklahoma City and Detroit, the Rockets finally broke through on Monday night, and they did it in emphatic fashion. As Kevin Durant faced his former team, the Rockets dismantled the Nets, 137\u2013109, earning their first victory of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5653,"featured_media":164529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,6,31,62,3],"tags":[4293,69,49134,4475],"class_list":["post-164468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nets","category-rockets","category-nba","category-news","tag-alperen-sengun","tag-kevin-durant","tag-reed-sheppard","tag-tari-eason"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164468"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164532,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164468\/revisions\/164532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}