The Rockets’ late-game woes reveal a complicated Kevin Durant problem

Days after pulling off their biggest comeback of the season, The Houston Rockets missed another game Thursday night, falling 128-122 in overtime in Philadelphia.

“We built a lead and then (had) some plays that are hard to explain down the stretch,” the head coach Making Udoka he said postgame.

But maybe that can be explained.

Kevin Durantmetrically, he’s having another great season. At 37, he’s averaging 26 points per game on 51/40/88 shooting, 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 eight turnovers. That includes one in the final minute of regulation with the Rockets leading by two. His layup led directly to a 76ers 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 … there were a lot of steals – I worked tonight.”

Rockets are righteous 10-13 in games this seasonwhich is the seventh most defeats in the league. After Thursday, they are just 1-5 in overtime. And despite a dominant 15-3 record at home (third best in the NBA), Houston is just 11-13 on the road.

This is nothing new for Durant late in his career.

Is Durant to blame 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 on the road, while the Rockets have dropped from their most wins a year ago to 17.^th.

Durant has been great, but these are the problems that have plagued his teams in recent seasons: upsets, close games and road wins.

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

Jabari Smith Jr. didn’t make the jump many expected he would, playing alongside Durant. Instead, he endured one of the worst shooting seasons of his career, highlighted by a 1-for-10 performance through three Thursday nights.

Reed SheppardThe development of ‘s seems to be lagging behind. Even Alperen Sengun has regressed in certain indicators. And, in large part because Fred VanVleet’s injuryAmen Thompson did not make the expected jump while playing a new position.

He’s starting to look like “Bill Simmons”Patrick Ewing’s theory.”

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

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

Durant still raises your floor, but at 37, he can also cover your ceiling. The Rockets are undoubtedly better with him. But when the games get tight and mistakes matter most, they still look outside of him for answers.

And until they find them, nights like Thursday will be no exception; they will continue to be the norm.