Kevin Durant expects better of himself in Rockets' rematch with Lakers

March 17 - Kevin Durant is a 16-time All-Star, a four-time scoring champion, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and soon will pass Michael Jordan for fifth in career points. His credentials are unassailable. So when Durant insisted upon shouldering the blame for the Houston ​Rockets' fourth-quarter collapse against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, his culpability resonated. After erasing a six-point third-quarter ‌deficit and briefly seizing the lead in the fourth, the Rockets fell apart down the stretch of a 100-92 loss to the visiting Lakers in the first of their two-game set that concludes Wednesday in Houston. The finale of the three-game season series serves as the tiebreaker between the ​Rockets and Lakers, who opened a 1 1/2-game lead over Houston for the third seed in the West. The Rockets ​shot 4 of 16 and committed nine turnovers while scoring a paltry 12 points in the ⁠fourth quarter. Durant, facing a constant stream of double teams the moment he crossed midcourt, committed two of his game-high ​seven turnovers in the fourth to fuel the Lakers' rally. "I feel like I lost the game for us; it's that simple," ​said Durant, who scored 18 points but missed all three of his 3-pointers. "It's on me, to be honest. I'm the offense. The opposing team is going to use all their resources to not let me get comfortable. "I've got to be smarter, better with the ball. I've got to ​maybe shoot over some of those double teams. Space out, be ready to catch and shoot, be ready to be a ​screener, just be in the dunker's spot. Just being able to be there as a resource for my teammates to provide spacing. I ‌didn't need ⁠to have the ball as much as I did." To be fair, Houston played without All-Star center Alperen Sengun (back) for a second consecutive game and missed its assists leader. The Rockets have labored this season without a traditional point guard to run their offense, with the setback to the Lakers the latest glaring example of their roster imbalance following the offseason loss of Fred ​VanVleet to a torn ACL. Meanwhile, ​the Lakers' overreliance on Luka ⁠Doncic, who scored a game-high 36 points, didn't net a decisive advantage. Their offense was rounded out by their ability to score in transition off contested shots defensively and via the ​Rockets' avalanche of turnovers. The Lakers recorded 16 fast-break points and, led by LeBron James, showcased ​an uncanny knack ⁠to convert in transition when presented the opportunity. "LeBron does such a good job of filling the middle of the floor," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "We emphasize running to the corners. We emphasize our throw-aheads. We've been really good in transition. I know we're not ⁠a high-volume ​transition team, but we've been really good in transition when we throw the ​ball ahead. "The numbers back that up, the winning backs that up. And LeBron, in particular, that's one of the things we talked about last week, is ​just continue to be the best transition player in the NBA. It's such a dynamic force for our offense." Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab