Kevin Durant Takes Blame for Rockets' Loss to LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Lakers in Trending Video

Houston Rockets star forward Kevin Durant placed the blame on himself for Monday night's 100-92 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Speaking to reporters after the game (beginning at the 1:28 mark of video), Durant took responsibility for the defeat due to his struggles on the offensive end, particularly during the second half.

"I just felt like I lost the game for us tonight," Durant said. "It's that simple. Of course we probably could make more threes, but it's on me. I mean, to be honest, I'm the offense and the opposing team is going to use all their resources and not let me get comfortable.

"First half, I got comfortable in iso, comfortable coming off of pindowns, pick-and-rolls, and they decided not to let me get comfortable no more. So I got to be smarter, better with the ball. I got to maybe shoot over some of them double-teams, but space out, be ready to catch and shoot, be ready to be a screener, just be in a dunker spot, just being able to be there as a resource for my teammates to provide space. I didn't need to have the ball as much as I did tonight."

Durant, 37, was held to 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, and he committed a team-high seven of Houston's 22 turnovers in the game.

Lakers-Rockets Full Highlights

01:31

KD had an especially tough time during the second half, scoring only two points. The Rockets scored only 35 points in total in the second half, including 12 in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers have had their defensive shortcomings over the course of the season, but they made life difficult for the Rockets, forcing 22 turnovers and holding them to 19 percent shooting from three-point range.

A future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, Durant has remained highly productive in his 18th NBA season, averaging 25.8 points per game.

Center Alperen Şengün is the only other Rockets player averaging at least 20 points per game, but he was out Monday due to injury, placing even more of the offensive burden on KD's shoulders.

Shutting down Durant during the second half made everything easier for the Lakers, who were led by 36 points from Luka Dončić and 18 points, five rebounds and five assists from LeBron James.

The win marked L.A.'s sixth in a row and extended its lead over the Rockets for third place in the Western Conference to 1.5 games. Meanwhile, Houston has alternated wins and losses in each of its past 10 games.

On Wednesday night, Durant and the Rockets will get their chance at redemption when they host the Lakers once again.