Kevin Durant’s magic can’t mask Rockets’ inconsistent offensive flaws

Days after executing their greatest comeback of the season, the Houston Rockets let another game slip away Thursday night, falling 128-122 in overtime in Philadelphia.

“We built ourselves a lead and then [had] some plays that are hard to explain down the stretch,” head coach Ime Udoka said postgame.

But maybe it can be explained.

Kevin Durant, metrically, is having another great season. At age 37, he’s averaging 26 points per game on 51/40/88 shooting splits, flirting with the rare 50/40/90 club.

But is the Rockets’ greatest strength also their weakness?

While Durant led the team in scoring Thursday night with 36 points, he also committed a game-high eight turnovers. That includes one in the final minute of regulation with the Rockets leading by two. His giveaway led directly to a 76ers transition layup to tie the game.

“We just weren’t good enough,” Durant said after the loss. “I had eight turnovers, five in the first half, which gave them a seven-point lead, which gave them confidence… it was a lot of bull—- I was doing tonight.”

The Rockets are just 10-13 in clutch games this season, which is the seventh-most losses in the league. After Thursday, they’re only 1-5 in overtime games. And despite a dominant 15-3 home record (third-best in the NBA), Houston is just 11-13 on the road.

This has been nothing new for late-career Durant.

Is Durant culpable for late-game struggles?

The Phoenix Suns were exactly .500 in clutch games the last two seasons with Durant and lost more than half of their overtime games a year ago, while also going just 12-29 on the road.

This season, the Suns are 12-9 in the clutch and over .500 away from home, while the Rockets have fallen from the most clutch victories a year ago to 17^th.

Durant has been excellent, but these are issues that have plagued his teams in recent seasons: adversity, tight games and winning on the road.

And while it’s not entirely his fault, running the offense so heavily through him may have stunted the growth of others.

Jabari Smith Jr. has not taken the leap many expected he would, playing alongside Durant. Instead, he’s endured one of the worst shooting stretches of his career, punctuated by a 1-for-10 performance from three Thursday night.

Reed Sheppard’s development has seemingly taken a backseat. Even Alperen Sengun has regressed in certain metrics. And, due in large part to Fred VanVleet’s injury, Amen Thompson hasn’t made the anticipated jump while playing a new position.

It starts to resemble Bill Simmons’ “Patrick Ewing Theory.”

Meanwhile, the Rockets just finished a 4-1 homestand that included victories over San Antonio and Minnesota. Before that, they suffered through a winless West Coast trip that featured some of the worst 3-point shooting of all time.

And when the Rockets finally got back on the road, they let another one slip away by coughing up a winnable game in Philadelphia on Thursday.

Durant still raises your floor, but at age 37, he may also cap your ceiling. The Rockets are undoubtedly better with him. But when games tighten, and mistakes matter most, they’re still searching for answers beyond him.

And until they find them, nights like Thursday won’t be the exception; they’ll continue to be the norm.

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