Kevin Durant, Rockets Ripped By NBA Fans After Blowing Late Lead in Loss to Jalen Brunson, Knicks
The Houston Rockets blew an 18-point fourth quarter lead in a Saturday night loss to the New York Knicks.
Despite a late three-pointer from Kevin Durant to bring the game within one point, the Rockets were forced to concede a 108-106 defeat at Madison Square Garden.
Durant had helped the Rockets establish a commanding 16-point lead by the end of the third quarter.
That was when the Knicks staged a comeback as Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson helped their team outscore the Rockets 33-15 in the fourth.
The Rockets were held to just five shots, while committing nine turnovers, over that span.
The win marked the Knicks' largest fourth-quarter comeback since November 2023 and continued a recent pattern of blown leads for the Rockets.
Rockets' inability to hold onto a substantial lead despite a strong game from Durant led some fans to express concern as to how deep this team can go in the playoffs.
Durant finished the loss with a game-high 30 points on 10-for-26 shooting from the field and 4-for-10 shooting from deep.
Anunoby and Brunson both posted 20 points for the Knicks, while Towns led his team with 25 points in the win.
The Knicks improved to 36-21 and 22-8 at home with the win, which helped the team jump ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers for No. 3 in the Western Conference.
The Rockets fell to 34-21, while their road record dropped to 16-14. Houston is now in danger of being leapfrogged by the Los Angeles Lakers (34-21) if Luka Dončić and the Lakers can defeat the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.
