You won't believe how long it's been since Kevin Durant won a playoff game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Kevin Durant was supposed to elevate the Houston Rockets back to the NBA's tier of contenders following a few lean years.
Instead, the Rockets' stay in this season's NBA playoffs is trending toward being a really short one.
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LeBron James' brilliance -- 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists -- steered the Los Angeles Lakers to a Game 2 win over the Rockets on Tuesday night. The Lakers' 101-94 home victory saw Los Angeles go up 2-0 in this best-of-seven first-round series; the Rockets now need to win four of the next five against an inspired LeBron to advance.
Though Kevin Durant returned to the court after he missed Game 1 with a knee contusion, his team-high 23 points weren't enough to even the series. And Tuesday's loss extended Duran't incredible personal losing streak in the playoffs.
Teams featuring Durant have lost seven successive postseason games, dating to Game 5 of the 2023 Western Conference semifinals. That season, the Phoenix Suns dropped the final two games of their second-round series with the Denver Nuggets, and Durant's Suns were swept out of the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2024.
Kevin Durant has now lost seven consecutive playoff games.His last win? May 7, 2023.
Durant remains individually excellent; he averaged 26.0 points per game this season. But he isn't effecting winning at the highest level anymore.
If the Rockets don't find a solution, and fast, Houston's problem will result in a first-round elimination.
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