HOUSTON — The 37-year-old made the shot that will go down in history. However, it was the younger players who made the two shots that meant the most to the Houston Rockets Saturday night.
Kevin Durant’s 3-pointer with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter drew a thunderous roar from the Toyota Center crowd as the future Hall of Famer moved past Michael Jordan into fifth place on the NBA’s career scoring list. It’s a shot that will be replayed countless times over the next few days, as Durant takes his place in the history books one spot above arguably the greatest to ever play the game.
As the arena overflowed with emotion, the actual game almost slipped away. The Rockets led by eight after Durant’s make, but the Heat managed to rally and take the lead late.
That’s when Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson came to the rescue.
A Sheppard floater with 12.7 seconds left gave Houston a 3-point lead, but Bam Adebayo hit a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one, then Tari Eason threw the ensuing inbounds pass to the Heat, and Simone Fontecchio made a layup with 5.4 seconds left that gave Miami a one-point lead. A glorious night was shaping to become another gut-wrenching loss for a Rockets team that’s become all too familiar with coming up short in these moments.
Durant tossed up a tough shot over Adebayo in the final seconds that clanked off the back rim, but Thompson came flying in out of nowhere to tap in a putback layup just before the buzzer, handing the Rockets a stunning 123-122 victory on Saturday night.
“Amen saved the day,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said.
For obvious reasons, this turned out to be the most emotional win of the season for a group that’s battled through inconsistency for months. It was a win that brought them closer together when it felt like they couldn’t have been further apart after suffering back-to-back brutal losses to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the week.
In recent days, the Rockets went viral on social media after several clips showed them bickering during games and looking disconnected on the bench. The noise got so loud that Durant openly addressed it after his team’s win on Friday night over the Atlanta Hawks, jokingly asking the media if his team’s body language and “vibes” had improved.
After Saturday’s win, the smiles were wider. The hugs were tighter. The belief was stronger than it’s been at any point this season.
Durant’s presence has been the main reason this team’s belief has remained steady despite all the peaks and valleys. Now, it’s the play of Thompson, 23, and Sheppard, 21, that has the Rockets looking like a real threat in the Western Conference once again.
And it wasn’t just their big plays at the end of Saturday’s win. They were dominant the entire night. Thompson had 24 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. Sheppard finished with 23 points, a career-high 14 assists and, most importantly, zero turnovers.
Durant’s milestone will understandably dominate postgame conversations and further solidify his place in NBA history. But for the Rockets, this night was about something else entirely: a glimpse into the future and a growing sense of optimism as the playoffs approach.
“They’ve both been thrusted into positions they haven’t played in the NBA yet. … I think over the year, they’ve gotten better, and they’ve gotten more comfortable in their roles,” Durant said. “I almost feel like when they’re in the backcourt together, they provide us with something that we haven’t seen consistently throughout the year: two guys who can handle the ball, two guys who can make plays. They play off each other really well.”
The Rockets’ backcourt of the future had already been showing signs of growth in recent weeks, and Udoka finally went all in and started Sheppard and Thompson together in wins over the Hawks on Friday and the Heat on Saturday. The move had been a topic of conversation among fans and media for months as the Rockets’ offensive efficiency collapsed, but Udoka remained hesitant because of Sheppard’s inconsistency and his weaknesses on the defensive end.
But those two losses to the Lakers earlier in the week showed that it was time for a change. They also showed it was time for Udoka to trust his young point guard. The alternative simply wasn’t good enough against the league’s top teams.
Sheppard being on the floor provides additional spacing for Durant. He provides another ballhandler to take some of the pressure off Thompson. He gives Alperen Şengün a pick-and-roll partner who can get him the ball in his spots.
In Saturday’s win, the Rockets put the ball in Sheppard’s hands more than they have all season. He finished with a career high in assists, as well as the first game of his career with 20-plus points and 10-plus assists.
The poise Sheppard displayed was even more impressive considering he was going against a Heat defense that likes to run complex zone defenses that force opposing ballhandlers to think. Not only was Sheppard making great decisions the entire night while attacking Miami’s weakness, but he also created open shots off the dribble and by moving without the ball. He was a constant threat, and he avoided some of the mental mistakes that had driven Udoka crazy in the past.
“He was picking the zone apart and making the right reads when he got inside. He was taking the shots that was there for him,” Udoka said. “You could see him kind of growing up right before your eyes.”
Kevin Durant passed Michael Jordan on the NBA career scoring list on Saturday, but a Houston Rockets win against the Miami Heat may not have happened without the play of Reed Sheppard. (Thomas Shea / Imagn Images)
Sheppard and Thompson have had to grow up under the spotlight all season after being called to take on more responsibility following Fred VanVleet’s season-ending ACL tear in September. They’ve supported each other through adversity, and they’ve spent a lot of time talking about how they can get the most out of each other. The bond they’ve built away from the court has helped feed into their success when they do play together. Since the All-Star break, the Rockets have outscored opponents by 40 points when Sheppard, Thompson and Durant are on the floor together.
At certain times this season, the Rockets have been unwatchable because their offense has been so stagnant and predictable. With Sheppard and Thompson playing together, the pace goes up. The ball movement increases. It becomes much more difficult to double-team Durant and Şengün every possession.
“(We’re) both young guys just figuring it out still,” Sheppard said. “We’re completely two different players; it’s good to have that. Me and Amen have gotten really close this year. … Every time we get on the court, I feel like we get better together.”
Even with all the excitement surrounding what Sheppard and Thompson have been doing lately, it’s impossible to overlook what Durant has done all season to keep this team afloat and the influence he’s had on this young core in Houston. Despite season-ending injuries to crucial veterans like VanVleet and Steven Adams, along with the uneven play most of Houston’s young core has dealt with all season, Durant has been the steadying presence to help the Rockets maintain a certain standard, even during some of their darkest moments.
Durant hasn’t been perfect, but his consistent offensive production and efficiency are beyond what anyone should expect from a player in his 18th season. Many of the young guys in the Rockets locker room — including Thompson and Sheppard — grew up idolizing Durant, so having a front row seat for milestones like the one he reached Saturday night, as Thompson described, is “legendary.”
“Being on a team with greatness like that, it’s inspiring,” Thompson said of Durant. “Witnessing him break these records, it’s been cool to watch.”
On Jan. 5, Durant hit a game-winner in the final seconds of a win over the Phoenix Suns. Thompson declared afterward that it was “the best moment I had as a Rocket.” After Thompson’s game-winning putback Saturday, Durant made sure to inform Thompson that it was time to nominate a new best moment.
“I was like, ‘Nah, this got to be the one now,’” Durant said.
If Thompson and Sheppard keep playing like this, Thompson may have a few more to choose from in the near future.