October 27, 2026
October 27, 2026
Houston Rockets’ 2025-26 Season: Durant, Muscle and a Lakers Wall
Houston Rockets’ 2025-26 season was the year the franchise stopped waiting on the future. Houston traded for Kevin Durant, rebuilt its rotation around him and won 52 games for a second straight year. Alperen Sengun and Durant both reached the All-Star Game. Amen Thompson grew into one of the league’s most complete young players. Then Durant’s body failed him in April, and a Lakers team missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves ended the run in six games.
The 2024-25 Rockets had won 52 games and earned the West’s second seed. They had also fallen to Golden State in seven games in the first round. General manager Rafael Stone decided the window was open now.
The price was real. Houston agreed on June 22, 2025, to send Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and draft picks to Phoenix for Durant. The deal grew into a seven-team trade finalized on July 6. It also returned Clint Capela to Houston in a sign-and-trade. Cam Whitmore went to Washington in a separate move. The Rockets added Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Okogie, and they re-signed Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams.
Durant committed long term before he played a game. On October 19, he agreed to a two-year extension through 2027-28. Houston had its centerpiece for the next three seasons.
The plan cracked in September. VanVleet tore his ACL and was lost for the season. Houston suddenly had no true point guard. Ime Udoka handed ball-handling duties to Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Durant. The Rockets also stayed hard-capped at the first apron, which limited any fix. That gap shadowed them all year.
The opener set the tone for a grinding campaign. Houston fell 125-124 in double overtime at Oklahoma City on October 21.
The Rockets clawed back quickly. They went 11-2 in November and reached 10 wins after 13 games with a 114-104 victory at Cleveland. No Houston team had started that well since the 1993-94 champions. Durant scored 35 in a 117-113 overtime win over Orlando on November 16. On Christmas Day the Rockets seized a 119-96 win over the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Winter brought turbulence. Houston dropped three straight in January, including two in Portland. Durant answered with 39 points in a 110-105 win over Minnesota on January 16. Sengun posted 39 points and 16 rebounds in a 118-114 win at Indiana on February 2.
February also brought off-court noise. Reports alleged Durant was criticizing teammates through a burner account. He dismissed the drama without a direct denial. On the floor he kept producing, scoring 40 in a 113-108 win at Orlando on February 26. Durant was named to the All-Star Game. Sengun joined him as the replacement for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a selection The Dream Shake covered at the time. The front office held firm at the deadline. Houston was one of only three teams that made no trade.
Two March losses to the Lakers stung, and they foreshadowed April. The Rockets responded with their best stretch of the year. They won eight straight from March 27 through April 9 and clinched a playoff berth on April 2. A 132-101 rout of Memphis closed the year at 52-30, good for fifth in the West. Houston went 30-11 at home and finished 9-1 over its last 10 games.
Houston won with size and relentless effort. The Rockets led the NBA in rebounding differential at plus-8.6 per game, the best mark by any team since 1976-77. They also led the league with 15.0 offensive rebounds per game and ranked sixth in defensive efficiency. Houston’s full statistical profile is preserved on Basketball-Reference.
Durant carried the scoring load at 26.0 points per game. At 37, he became the oldest player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in a season. He also climbed to fifth on the all-time scoring list. Sengun averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists. He became only the fifth player ever to post at least 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block per game.
Thompson averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Only Luka Doncic matched that line that season. Jabari Smith Jr. added 15.8 points and 6.9 rebounds, and Sheppard played all 82 games. Durant, Sengun and Thompson each averaged at least 18 points across 70 or more games. No trio had done that since 1978-79.
The depth behind them mattered just as much. Tari Eason averaged 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in under 26 minutes per night. He became the first player in league history to reach 10 points, six rebounds, one steal and 1.5 made threes per game in that role. Steven Adams appeared in only 32 games but still pulled down 8.6 rebounds per night. Five Rockets played at least 70 games while averaging 13 or more points, a feat the franchise last managed in 1972-73. The official Rockets website tracked that balance all season, and it became the team’s calling card.
The flaws were just as clear. Houston ranked 27th in turnover percentage, the direct cost of losing VanVleet. The Rockets also went 1-7 in overtime games. Houston Rockets’ 2025-26 season leaned on effort to cover for missing creation.
The first-round draw looked favorable. The fourth-seeded Lakers were without Doncic and Reaves, both injured on April 2.
Ninety minutes before Game 1, Houston’s plan collapsed. Durant bruised his right knee in a practice collision and was ruled out of the opener. The Lakers shot 60.6 percent and won 107-98, with Luke Kennard scoring 27. LeBron James, at 41, controlled the game with 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. Houston grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and still lost. Durant returned for Game 2 and scored 23, but Los Angeles held on, 101-94.
Durant then sprained his left ankle and did not play again. Back at Toyota Center, Sengun scored 33 points in Game 3. The Rockets forced overtime and still fell, 112-108.
Facing a sweep, the Rockets refused to fold. Thompson scored 23 in a 115-96 rout in Game 4. In Game 5, Houston traveled to Los Angeles and held on for a 99-93 win behind 22 points from Smith. The Rockets became only the 16th team in NBA history to force a Game 6 after trailing 3-0.
The comeback ended at home. Houston managed just 78 points in a 98-78 loss on May 1, with Thompson scoring 18. Durant appeared in only one game of the series.
Houston Rockets’ 2025-26 season proved this core could win big in the regular season. Fifty-two wins, two All-Stars and a historic rebounding edge gave the franchise a clear identity. Sengun and Thompson took real steps forward, and Durant showed he could still score at an elite level at 37.
The ending exposed what remained unfinished. Without VanVleet, Houston lacked a second creator all year. Without Durant, the offense stalled against a depleted opponent. That series defined the year. It showed how far this group had come and how much still depended on one aging star staying healthy. Houston Rockets’ 2025-26 season will be remembered as the first chapter of the Durant era, and a warning about how fragile it was.
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