One issue the Houston Rockets were keen to address this season was Kevin Durant’s heavy workload. The veteran forward ranked second in the NBA in minutes played last season, his 18th in the league.
Houston showed signs of reducing its reliance on Durant in a 120-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, pulling away in the fourth quarter while the star watched from the bench. The Rockets, who face the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, extended a six-point lead entering the final period to 117-95 with 4:44 remaining.
Center Alperen Şengün anchored a lineup featuring guards Fred VanVleet and Reed Sheppard and forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason. The group excelled at both ends of the court, allowing Durant to rest as Houston extended its advantage.
Durant finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in 30 minutes, welcoming the opportunity to spend more time on the bench.
"We had a great lineup out there that had some great momentum,” Durant said. "Coaches are always looking to get me some extra minutes of rest on the bench. If the unit that's in the game is rolling, I'm all for just sitting over there and supporting them and being ready when my number is called.”
"Obviously, we'd like to get his minutes down,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. "It's great when we can have the luxury of a group out there doing what they did, a selfless group that doesn't care who's really getting it done as long as we're getting it done.”
Expectations were low for the Bucks entering the season following the offseason trade of franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo. After losing their first three games by an average of 10 points, Milwaukee appeared headed for a difficult season.
However, a fourth-quarter rally on Monday lifted the Bucks to a 110-102 home win over the Indiana Pacers, helping them avoid their first 0-4 start since the 1976-77 season. The victory was also the first for coach Taylor Jenkins, who is in his first season in Milwaukee after being fired by Memphis with nine games remaining in the 2024-25 campaign.
"Still more to clean up, but just really proud of the group,” Jenkins said. "An 0-3 start to the season settles in, and you're down 11 at halftime. We came out and had the right intensity.
"Awesome to get the first win and to share it with a special group. This isn't about me. This is about the organization, this is about the team, about my coaching staff. It's about those players that, despite three tough starts to the season, came out at home and found a way to grind it out.”
The Bucks could benefit from their center rotation featuring Myles Turner and Kel'el Ware. Turner recorded nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks against his former team, while Ware scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
"Those guys did it in different ways,” Jenkins said of Turner and Ware. "Just really proud of the growth that they're making, trying to still figure out our defensive system and still making an impact.
"They've got more from growth, and I know they're excited about what imprint they can make on the defensive side for us.”