The Houston Rockets were seconds away from their first win of the 2026 playoffs. Up 6 with under 30 seconds left, Game 3 at Toyota Center looked under control.
Then everything flipped. LeBron James forced a turnover, hit a late 3-pointer, and dragged the Los Angeles Lakers into overtime, where they sealed a 112-108 win and a 3-0 lead.
Rockets superstar Kevin Durant wasn’t on the floor, but his name took over the conversation anyway. What followed was immediate and not kind as the NBA world piled on the Rockets for collapsing at a crucial juncture.
NBA Voices React to the Rockets’ Collapse and Kevin Durant Chatter
At Toyota Center, the Rockets found themselves up by 6 points in the final 30 seconds. That should have been enough to help them get a win. Instead, a pair of turnovers and one rushed possession flipped everything.
King James took over from there and shattered the Rockets’ hopes. He forced a turnover in the backcourt, set up the sequence, and then drilled a game-tying 3-pointer with 13.1 seconds left.
As expected, the shift was immediate. By the time overtime began, the momentum had already swung, and the Lakers closed it out to take a 3-0 lead.
James finished the night with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists in 45 minutes on 10-of-22 FG and 4-of-9 3-pointers made, controlling the game when it mattered most.
As the collapse unfolded, reactions quickly tied the moment back to Durant.
ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel wrote, “Yeah… Kevin Durant was right in everything he said on that burner account. Houston needs to end this season,” bringing that narrative directly into the moment.
Yeah… Kevin Durant was right in everything he said on that burner account.
Houston needs to end this season.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) April 25, 2026
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor had the strongest reaction, writing, “Kevin Durant was right about what he said on that burner. The Rockets have a deeply flawed roster. But what was absent in those leaked DMs was any commentary about himself. We see the disparity in this series. LeBron James has always made his teammates better. Durant never has.”
Kevin Durant was right about what he said on that burner. The Rockets have a deeply flawed roster. But what was absent in those leaked DMs was any commentary about himself. We see the disparity in this series. LeBron James has always made his teammates better. Durant never has.
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) April 25, 2026
From there, the tone only got sharper. Hater Report posted, “THE ROCKETS CHOKED 😭😭😭 LEBRON JAMES TIES THE GAME AT 101 🤯.”
THE ROCKETS CHOKED 😭😭😭
LEBRON JAMES TIES THE GAME AT 101 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1EPlzmJLQ1
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) April 25, 2026
Likewise, BrickCentre followed with, “HOUSTON CHOKED 😭💀,” as the result became official.
HOUSTON CHOKED 😭💀 pic.twitter.com/KN55AP3o13
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) April 25, 2026
Veteran sports reporter Skip Bayless had already reacted in real time when the game-tying shot went in, capturing the swing before overtime even began: “LEBRON REDEEMS HIMSELF! TIED!”
LEBRON REDEEMS HIMSELF! TIED!
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 25, 2026
Another post from @Three_cone summed up the collapse more bluntly, writing, “Rockets went from saving their season to throwing it away completely in the most devastating fashion.”
Even the memes followed the same line, with Hater Report sharing, “Jalen Green watching the Rockets get swept by the Lakers.”
Jalen Green watching the Rockets get swept by the Lakers pic.twitter.com/3p4nqkaxVF
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) April 25, 2026
Across reactions, one thread stayed consistent: The loss reopened everything around Durant.
Durant missed Game 3 with a left ankle sprain, his second absence in the series. Despite not playing, his past lingered over the result.
The discussion traces back to burner accounts, which had been linked by some to Durant and included posts critical of teammates. Durant acknowledged using burner accounts back in 2017, and while nothing recent has been confirmed, moments like this tend to bring those conversations back into focus.
With the Rockets now down 0-3, the timing of that chatter has only added weight.
The result also flipped expectations around the series.
The Lakers entered dealing with uncertainty, especially with injuries to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, which made it difficult to project them. Instead, they have taken control. James has been central throughout, dictating pace and delivering late, while the Lakers have found enough around him to close games.
Game 3 became the clearest example, where they capitalized on Houston’s mistakes rather than forcing the issue early.
Now the series sits at 0-3 for the Rockets, a deficit no team in NBA history has overcome. With Game 4 tipping off in Houston on Sunday, the tone has shifted sharply.
What once looked like a favorable matchup for the Rockets now feels like a series already over.
