Kevin Durant played in the 1,209th game of his NBA career on Monday night, and while the Rockets beat the Boston Celtics 109-93 to improve to 7-1 on the season, Durant attempted fewer than seven field goals for just the fourth time.
“We won the game,” Durant said when asked about his lack of involvement in the Rockets offense. “Why are you singling me out?”
Durant finished with 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting. He attempted one field goal in 16 minutes in the second half, and he did not attempt a three-pointer for the first time since March 15, 2022, when he played for the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant played fewer than 12 minutes the three previous times he attempted fewer than seven shots, the last of which came on Feb. 28, 2017 when he suffered a knee injury in the opening two minutes of a game against the Washington Wizards. Durant played 33 minutes on Monday.
“I got to do a better job putting him in spots to avoid being double-teamed,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said. “I know he gets frustrated at times, but we got to stay the course and understand what’s good for the team, but also keep him engaged and keep him moving.”
Udoka and Durant had a discussion during a third quarter timeout, but it was more about the Rockets head coach wanting Durant to be more aggressive in looking for his shot, not Durant expressing his frustration about not getting shots.
“If teams are going to deny him at half court, there are some counters,” Udoka said. “He gets the back door every now and then because of how they guard him, and so that’s what (the discussion) was about.”
“I wanted movement. He was like, ‘They’re denying me, and let the other guys go to work,’ but it’s finding that balance of still keeping him engaged, involved, and letting other guys be aggressive as well.”
Monday marked the third time in four games Durant had attempted fewer than 10 shots. He’s attempting 12.3 shots per game, more than five fewer per game than last season and six fewer than his career average.
Durant, who is fifth on the NBA all-time scoring list, believes he is impacting the game even though he isn’t taking shots.
“They’re going to double-team. They’re gonna shade guys to me, even when I don’t have the ball,” Durant said. “My presence alone is impactful to the game of basketball. I don’t have to shoot. I don’t have to dribble. Just me being out there is gonna cause a reaction of the defense, and my team is taking advantage of it.”
Even with Durant taking fewer shots than ever, the Rockets are second in the NBA in offensive rating, scoring 121.2 points per 100 possessions.
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