March 17, 2026, 11:05 a.m. ET
Kevin Durant didn’t have the answers after the Houston Rockets dropped Monday night’s game to the Los Angeles Lakers. Following his 16-point first half, the Lakers sent constant double-teams Durant’s way, holding him to two points on 1-of-5 shooting with six turnovers in the second half.
“I don’t know,” Durant said after the game when asked how to avoid the doubles.
That has to be unsettling for anyone in Houston who thought Durant was the singular answer to the team’s biggest problem.
A year ago, the Rockets had the second-best record in the NBA, buoyed by a top-five defense. With a little more offense, it was reasonable to expect them to take another leap in 2025-26. Which is why the team traded for Durant.
The NBA’s sixth all-time leading scorer has played his role well. Durant is averaging almost 26 points on 51/40/89 splits. Yet, the Rockets aren’t getting better. In fact, they might’ve regressed. At 41-26, they’re one game behind last year’s pace. Any slight offensive improvement (1.3 points per 100 possessions better) has been offset by a decline in defense (1.9 points worse).
Even worse, the Rockets are awful in clutch situations (final five minutes of 4Q/OT). According to NBA.com, they have the NBA’s seventh-worse net rating (-7.3) in the clutch, where their lack of a true point guard is most glaring.
“It’s all on me, to be honest,” Durant said. “I’m the offense. And the opposing team is going to use all their resources to not let me get comfortable.”
The Rockets are still fourth in the West, but last year’s first round playoff exit proved records don’t necessarily matter. If they don’t figure out how to generate more offense, they’ll be going home early again. We’ll be left wondering why we ever thought one 37-year-old was the missing piece.
2027 Oscars best picture contenders
With the 2026 Oscars behind us, FTW’s Cory Woodroof looked into his crystal ball to predict which films will contend for best picture in 2027.
That led to this list of 40 movies, including the early best bet from Christopher Nolan:
“You can put $5 on The Odyssey getting a Best Picture nomination right now. It’s maybe the only film on this list that we feel that confidently about, given Nolan’s sterling track record and recent Oscar success. The Odyssey is exactly the kind of big-budget auteur swing that the Academy goes wild for… if it’s good. Given Nolan’s Oppenheimer just won Best Picture a couple of years ago and the field has 10 nominees, The Odyssey feels like a lock… sight unseen.”
As for who might host the 2027 show, these seven people deserve consideration.
IN-N-OUT: Michael B. Jordan took his Oscar to grab a bite to eat
Quick hits: USMNT jersey revolt … Justin Fields to the Chiefs … and more
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