Kevin Durant did not hold back after beating his former team on Monday night.
Durant hit a game-winning shot with just 1.1 seconds left on the clock to lift the Houston Rocketsto a 100-97 win over the Phoenix Sunson Monday. He caught an in-bounds pass with Royce O'Neale on him, dribbled twice and pulled up easily to sink the shot from deep.
Naturally, that sparked a huge celebration at the Toyota Center and prompted some very clear taunts from Durant.
.@KDTrey5called GAME 📣pic.twitter.com/R62MlM43TU
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets)January 6, 2026
But it was what Durant said about the Suns after the game that was the most notable part of the night.
"Most definitely," he said when asked if the shot meant more because it was against the Suns,via The Associated Press. "[That was] a place that I didn't want to leave. My first time — I don't want to sound too dramatic, but I will — to be kicked out of a place."
Durant spent 2 1/2 seasons with the Suns before the team traded him to the Rockets in a massive deal last summer. The Suns made it to the second round of the playoffs only once with Durant on their roster, and they missed the postseason completely last season. Durant also had three different head coaches during his time in Phoenix, and the organization has a new one running things now in Jordan Ott.
While the Suns had more issues with their roster than just Durant, he said he felt like all of the blame was placed on his shoulders.
"It feels good to play against a team that booted you out of the building and scapegoated you for all the problems they had," he said. "And it hurt because I put all my effort and love and care towards the Suns and the Phoenix area and Arizona in general. But that's just the business, that's the name of the game. So, when you play against a [former] team, yeah you got a chip on your shoulder."
Devin Booker led the Suns with 27 points in the loss. O'Neal finished with 15 points, and Dillon Brooks added 15 points. The Suns now sit at 21-15 on the season, and have won six of their past eight to climb rapidly in the Western Conference standings.
Durant finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the win for the Rockets. His game-winner was just the second 3-pointer he made all night. Durant went 2 of 12 from behind the arc.
Both Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 17 points and seven rebounds each, and Tari Eason added 12 points and eight rebounds. Houston now holds a 22-11 record this season.
"Even though I'm old, I still can play," Durant said. "I feel like every player has that mentality playing against their former team. I don't think it's malicious in any way towards them. But just as a competitor, you want to go out there and beat them."
While Durant is still clearly harboring some negative feelings toward the Suns organization, he's gotten most of his matchups against them out of the way early. Monday's game wasn't the Rockets' first against the Suns this season; it was their third. All three of them have been wins. The Rockets won't play the Suns again until April 7. If the two teams don't see each other in the playoffs, that'll be it until next fall.
Yet despite his comments, Durant may not even care by then — or even by the time he left the Toyota Center.
"By the time I get home tonight, I probably won't even remember it," he said. "Well, I will remember it, but I'll try my best to forget about it and move on to the next one."
Kevin Durant did not hold back after beating his former team on Monday night. Durant hit a game-winning shot wit...
