Kevin Durant Rejects Back-to-Back Narrative After Loss, 'This Is Our Job. We Get Paid to Do This'

Facing the Denver Nuggets on the road in the second half of a back-to-back is a difficult proposition for any NBA team, but Kevin Durant rejected the notion it played a role in the Houston Rockets' 129-93 loss on Wednesday.

"No. This is our job," he told reporters (2:30 mark). "We get paid to do this. Back-to-backs shouldn't matter at all."

It was also the Rockets' third game in four days considering they lost to the San Antonio Spurs on the road on Sunday. San Antonio won that contest 145-120, and Denver had no trouble scoring against Houston in the latest matchup.

The Rockets are typically strong on the defensive side of the ball, so it was an uncharacteristic stretch against the Western Conference contenders. In fact, they are eighth in the league in defensive rating, per NBA.com. 

Durant and Co. at least defeated the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday in the first leg of the back-to-back.

Yet they looked like a different team in the second leg as Jamal Murray torched them for 30 points and Nikola Jokić notched a triple-double of 16 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds and five steals.

Rockets-Nuggets Full Highlights

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Houston didn't have a single player score more than 16 points, and Durant finished with just 11 on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.

It would have been easy to look at the team's consecutive 14-point win over the Raptors and convincing loss to the Nuggets and assume the fatigue of a back-to-back had something to do with it. Still, Durant was insistent that was not the case and suggested maintaining their level of play in such situations is part of making an NBA salary.

He won't have to wait long for another chance at a back-to-back, as the Rockets face the Atlanta Hawks on March 20 and the Miami Heat on March 21.