Kevin Durant Says Warriors Are Focusing on Themselves, Not Rockets

Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant said Thursday that the reigning NBA champions aren't concerning themselves with the Houston Rockets' desire to knock them from their perch in the Western Conference.

When asked about what type of threat the Rockets pose, Durant steered the conversation toward looking in the mirror rather than at the teams that are gunning for them, according to ESPN.com's Chris Haynes: "It's no disrespect, but we're not coming in every day saying we're just thinking about Houston. We know how great they are. We know it's a team that's going to be contending for a title along with us and couple other teams. But we're focusing on ourselves right now."

Durant's comments came ahead of the Warriors' road clash with the Rockets on Thursday.

Golden State enters the game atop the Western Conference with a record of 30-8, while the 27-9 Rockets are two games behind in second place.

Durant acknowledged the Rockets as a threat but expressed his belief that they are pushing the Warriors to get better at the same time:

"That's what they're supposed to think. When you win a championship, everyone wants to beat you, and they're one of the closest teams to us as far as how we play, how we move, how we shoot the 3. They have a nice formula over there.

"We know they want to beat us, but that only makes us better and it only makes the competition even better when you're out there on the court. It's just fun. It's fun for the fans, it's fun for the players, it's fun for the game in general. We'll see what happens."

In December, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said his team is "basically obsessed" with answering the question of how they can beat the Warriors, per ESPN.com.

Houston made a concerted effort to get better during the offseason, highlighted by acquiring Chris Paul in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.

That move has paid dividends for a Rockets team that is challenging for the No. 1 seed in the conference.

The Rockets own a 1-0 record over Golden State this season after beating the Warriors 122-121 in the opening game of the 2017-18 campaign.

James Harden paced the Rockets with 27 points in that matchup, but he will not play against the Warriors on Thursday due to a hamstring injury.

Harden's absence makes the Warriors a clear favorite, with Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all set to suit up.