The arrival of Kevin Durant in Houston was a clear sign that the Houston Rockets are officially going after the championship. They already had everything a contender needs — they were just missing someone to push the team to a title level.
That someone is Durant. And since Ime Udoka bases the offense around Alperen Sengun, one of the greatest scorers ever did not have to carry too much of the load — until the Turkish star became ill. The Rockets won their first game without Sengun, but in the second one they were defeated by the Dallas Mavericks, 122–109.
Kevin Durant once again showed his reliability with 27 points on an efficient 11-of-20 shooting night. Jabari Smith Jr. stepped up with 22 points, but they needed more from Amen Thompson, who finished with only nine. Off the bench, Aaron Holiday and Reed Sheppard tried to spark something, but the Mavs were simply better last night.
Kevin Durant congratulates James Harden on his IG story for reaching #10 on the NBA all time scoring list 🐐🐐#AllFire pic.twitter.com/4jBDH3kNjA
— 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘢☆ (@Stunna999_) December 7, 2025
Despite a long list of injured players, head coach Jason Kidd managed to shorten the rotation and distribute the minutes perfectly. Anthony Davis scored 29 points in just 30 minutes on the floor, Brandon Williams added 20, rookie Cooper Flagg posted 19, Naji Marshall 15, P.J. Washington 14, and Ryan Nembhard 11 points.
When the scoring is spread out like that, it is very difficult to lose. Perhaps this win over one of the main title contenders is exactly what Dallas needed to get going — even though this was only their ninth win of the season. The Mavs are currently 12th in the West, and although the situation within the franchise has been rough, it is definitely not over yet.
As for Houston, the Rockets are now 15–6, just one win behind the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, who hold the third and second spots in the West. The Oklahoma City Thunder are firmly in first place with an incredible 22–1 record.
COOPER FLAGG ROCKS THE RIM 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/tNb7k20gPu
— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2025
