Houston’s new star Kevin Durant had a productive scoring night in his first NBA preseason game for the Rockets against the Utah Jazz.
Kevin Durant eased in to his new team, the Houston Rockets, as he made good on his preseason debut against the Utah Jazz at the Toyota Center in Houston Texas on Wednesday (Thursday morning, Manila time).
Durant fired 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in limited minutes to display his potential for the team’s overall impact.
After missing out in the Rockets’ preseason opener, Durant made sure to make his presence felt.
The Rockets dominated inside the paint as they outscored their foes, 70-46, in the shaded area during a game where they led by as much as 16 points.
Jabari Smith Jr. played supporting role with 18 points, three boards, and a block.
Amen Thompson also chipped in with an all-around game 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block.
The Jazz, who had multiple players resting, leaned on Ace Bailey’s 25 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block in the losing effort.
Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics leaned on Derrick White’s efforts to push past the Memphis Grizzlies, 121-103 at the FedExForum in Tennessee.
Boston dominated in the match and led by as much as 29 points, relying on Memphis’ carelessness with the ball that translated into 22 turnovers which turned into 34 points for the Boston Celtics who are now 1-0 in the preseason.
Jaylen Brown was Boston’s top scorer with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
In the other game, the San Antonio Spurs went 2-0 after beating the Miami Heat, 112-107, at the Kaseya Center in Florida.
Keldon Johnson paced his team in scoring with 19 points while Victor Wembanyama had 10 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal, and two blocks in the victory.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.