Kevin Durant Calls Out Rockets' Play After Collapse vs. KAT, Knicks at MSG

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant was unhappy with how his team took its foot off the gas in a 108-106 loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday.

"In a lot of our games when we're up 10, 12, 14, we just give it away because we don't play with that dominant trait," he said, per The Athletic's William Guillory. "I thought, in the first three quarters, we played with more pace. In the fourth quarter, we were just stagnant to start. It gave them momentum. We were giving up layups and turnovers. I just think we relaxed a bit coming into the fourth quarter."

The Rockets led by 18 points early into the fourth quarter before the Knicks slowly worked their way back. Guard Jalen Brunson finally put New York ahead with 29.5 seconds on the clock, and the home team held on.

Rockets-Knicks Full Highlights

01:27

Houston mustered just 15 points over the final 12 minutes. Coach Ime Udoka said the "ball stopped moving," and the offense became too isolation-heavy:

To Durant's point, the team has tended to fall off deeper into games.

The Rockets rank seventh in net rating (plus-4.9), per NBA.com. Their net rating in the fourth quarter is a more pedestrian 16th (minus-0.5). In what the NBA classifies as clutch situations, Houston ranks 21st in field-goal percentage (42.3) and last in turnovers (1.7).

Durant called Saturday's game "a lesson learned."

"Something we can keep growing from," he said, per Guillory. "It's a vital time for us to keep growing and keep getting better."

Still, the Rockets' lack of offensive fluidity in the fourth quarter against the Knicks underlines an issue that was immediately apparent when point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL before the season tipped off.

Houston doesn't have another natural facilitator on par with VanVleet. Udoka has deployed Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard most frequently at the point, and neither possesses VanVleet's instincts.

That becomes a more glaring problem in close games when opposing teams ratchet up their defensive pressure. Durant and center Alperen Şengün are good playmakers for their position, but they can't be the offensive hub for every possession.

Udoka is a widely respected in-game strategist. The Rockets' void in the backcourt is a challenge even he may not be able to solve.