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HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 16: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers defends Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets during the game at Toyota Center on March 16, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

The Houston Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, in large part to Kevin Durant committing six turnovers and making just one shot in the second half.

While Durant did take the blame for the team’s offensive struggles, as well as his own, the loss for Houston is just another mark in what has already been a disappointing stretch of the season. 

The Rockets were considered strong title contenders before the year, but amid injuries, Durant’s burner account controversy, and overall inconsistency, they aren’t viewed as title contenders around the league, according to Shams Charania.

Rockets Not Viewed As Title Contenders

Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up show, after the Rockets’ loss to the Lakers, Charania said that teams around the league don’t see Houston as a major threat in the playoffs.

“When I talk to teams around the league, the Rockets are not viewed as legitimate title contender. Now, could they be a threat in the first round? For sure, but without Fred VanVleet, without Steven Adams, those are two starters they’re down for the season,” Charania said.

The Rockets have floated around the .500 mark since the trade deadline, in which they stayed relatively quiet, signaling the front office was happy with the current roster. But as seen on Monday night, while they were without All-Star Alperen Sengun, they didn’t have much of an offensive spark all night against a team near them in the West standings all season.

Houston’s 92 points against Los Angeles were their second-lowest scoring total all season.

Kevin Durant Takes Blame For Lakers Loss

Durant finished the game with 18 points, five rebounds, and two assists on 8/16 shooting, but after the final whistle, he took the brunt of the blame for the Rockets falling short.

“I just felt like I lost the game for us tonight,” he said, per ESPN’s Tim McMahon. “It’s that simple. Of course we probably could make more 3s, but it’s on me. I mean, to be honest, I’m the offense and the opposing team is going to use all their resources and not let me get comfortable.”

On a team with Sengun and Amen Thompson this season, Durant has spent more time this year arguably than any other season of his career in the corner without the ball. He is still the Rockets’ number one scoring option, but as he said on Monday, he didn’t take it upon himself to kickstart the team’s offense against the Lakers’ subpar defense. 

“So I got to be smarter, better with the ball. I got to maybe shoot over some of them double-teams, but space out, be ready to catch and shoot, be ready to be a screener, just be in a dunker spot, just being able to be there as a resource for my teammates to provide space,” he added postgame. 

While the Rockets had a nine-point lead in the third quarter, they went on to score just 22 points in the final 18 minutes of the game.

“The Rockets are 10-9 dating back to Feb. 4 when they lost by 21 points to the Boston Celtics. They rank 16th in the NBA in net rating (minus-0.7) during this period, primarily due to their offense being the eighth-worst in the league by rating,” Adam Wells wrote for Bleacher Report. “It’s even worse later in games, as their fourth-quarter net rating during this 19-game span is (minus-9.9), ahead of only the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers.”

The Rockets are set to play the Lakers again on Wednesday on ESPN, hopeful for that rematch to have a different result than Monday’s game.

Houston is fourth in the West standings at 41-26 and is 5-5 in their last ten.