On Thursday night, the Houston Rockets played the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina.
The Rockets won by a score of 105-101.
Kevin Durant finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks while shooting 14/20 from the field and 2/4 from three-point range in 36 minutes of playing time.
NBA World Reacts To Kevin Durant’s 35-Point Explosion For Houston Rockets
Here’s what people were saying about Durant’s performance:
ESPN Insights: “Kevin Durant’s 35 points against the Hornets was his 429th time scoring at least 30 in a game 👏 Durant ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the 6th-most 30-pt games in NBA history, only two behind Kobe Bryant for 5th.”
Real App: “Kevin Durant now has the most games by a forward in NBA history with 35+ PTS on 75%+ TS.”
NBA on ESPN: “KEVIN DURANT. DAGGER. FIRST GAME BACK FROM BREAK AND THE REAPER DROPS 35 PTS”
Underdog: “Most 30-point games in NBA history 1. LeBron James: 575 2. Michael Jordan: 562 3. Wilt Chamberlain: 516 4. Karl Malone: 435 5. Kobe Bryant: 431 6. Kevin Durant: 429”
Durant is in his first season playing for the Rockets.
He is now averaging 26.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per contest while shooting 51.0% from the field and 40.4% from three-point range in 51 games.
In addition to the Rockets, Durant has also spent time playing for the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder.
With their win over the Hornets, the Rockets improved to 34-20 in 54 games, which has them as the third seed in the Western Conference.
They have gone 6-4 over their last ten games (and are 16-13 on the road).
Following the Hornets, the Rockets will play their next game on Saturday when they visit Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Thoughts on last nights NBA games @EnjoyBBall:
– Kevin Durant really needed a game like that with everything going on
– The 76ers neglecting the bench at the deadline still stays perplexing
– Knicks better hope they’re on the opposite side of the playoff bracket than Detroit
-…— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) February 20, 2026
On the other side, the Hornets dropped to 26-30 in 56 games, which has them as the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.
They have gone 8-2 over their last ten games (and are 12-15 in 27 at home).
Following the Rockets, the Hornets will play their next game on Friday night when they host James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Durant was the second pick in the 2007 NBA Draft after one season of college basketball at Texas.
He helped lead Golden State to two titles.
