This past season for the Houston Rockets did not go planned at all. Right from the start when starting point guard Fred VanVleet when down with a torn ACL and the ending when the Rockets were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in six games by the Los Angeles Lakers without Luka Doncic. It was supposed to be a special year for the Rockets after conducting the biggest trade in NBA history to bring one of the greatest scorers of all-time in Kevin Durant to Houston. Injuries were a big story of the season, but one thing that remained consistent was Durant's steady presence and consistent scoring for the Rockets during the regular season. That obviously changed as KD shockingly only played one playoff game in the six-game series against the Lakers. At age 37, Durant's availability was a huge factor and that was never an issue during the regular season. it ended up being a strength for him throughout the year, except when it really mattered in the playoffs. Durant dealt with a knee contusion and an ankle sprain after dealing with no big injuries during the 82-game season. KD played 78 games during the regular season, which was the most he's played since 2018-19. Ultimately, his presence shouldn't have mattered and the Rockets young core had a chance to win a playoff series. There was also the whole drama of Durant's potential burner X account, where he supposedly called out and made fun of his teammates. It came out around the All-Star break, and the situation still hasn't been verified as Durant just dismissed those claims as "Twitter nonsense". The debate is out on if that affected the team. For the most part, it seemed like Durant fit the team and helped out the young core. The Rockets heavily relied on him. The struggles were visible as KD was the only reliable shooter on the team. Durant still came through with some special moments during the season where the Rockets won 52 games and finished fifth in the Western Conference. Here are his top three moments. Passing MJ On All-Time Scoring ListFrom passing MJ to game winners, relive KD’s top moments from this season 👏 pic.twitter.com/gRM5ygB230— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) May 19, 2026In arguably the best game of the season on March 21 against the Miami Heat in Toyota Center, Durant passed Michael Jordan for fifth on the all-time scoring list. It was a pass from Reed Sheppard to Durant in the corner. The Rockets ultimately won 123-122 thanks to a tip-in from Amen Thompson. Game-Winner vs the SunsIn the second meeting of the season against the Phoenix Suns at home on Jan. 5, Durant had his first signature moment as a Rocket. In a tied game at 97 with five seconds left, Durant got the ball from the sideline and pulled up a couple feet behind the arc with two defenders on him and drained what ultimately was his incredible game-winning 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to go. KD ended up with 26 points in the game. Heroics vs the MagicIn one of the games of the year at home, Durant came through multiple times as the Rockets made a great comeback against the Orlando Magic. The Rockets were down 11 points in the fourth quarter, but eventually came back. Durant hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:49 left and then made the absolutely clutch 3-pointer to tie the game at 100 with 21.9 seconds to go after the Rockets were trailing. While Alperen Sengun eventually sent the game into overtime, KD was clutch again in the extra period and hit a pull-up shot with 9.2 seconds to go that gave the Rockets a three-point lead. He also had a great block in the first half, and showcased both sides of his game. Durant ended up with 35 points total. Durant deserved some MVP praise during the regular season, as the Rockets wouldn't be anywhere close to 50 wins without him. He masked a lot of the shooting and offensive deficiencies and carried the Rockets at times. KD averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists on 52 percent shooting overall. He shot 41 percent from three and 87 percent from the free throw line. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow