Jan. 17, 2026, 9:04 a.m. CT

Starting Jan. 3 in Dallas, the Rockets went through a historically awful shooting stretch. Entering Friday, Houston’s 24.6% clip from 3-point range over its previous seven games was the worst in NBA history (per ESPN) by any team over a seven-game span (minimum of 200 attempts).

Not surprisingly, the Rockets won just two of those seven games. It was an abrupt change in fate for a Houston squad that was No. 2 in the league in 3-point shooting (40.0%) over its first 31 games of the 2025-26 regular season — with a 21-10 record.

But in Friday’s late win over Minnesota (highlights), signs emerged that the Rockets could finally be breaking out. Houston connected on 12-of-28 from 3-point range (42.9%), and Kevin Durant scored a season-high 39 points while connecting on 6-of-8 from distance (75.0%).

“Pregame, I was so focused on just going through my whole process on my 3s, not rushing, keeping my follow through up,” Durant said postgame. “I just try to duplicate that same performance in the real game. So, yeah, I was conscious of it. I knew I was struggling from three the last few games, and I wanted to turn it around.”

“My goodness, man. It felt great.”

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Durant is shooting 39.0% on 3-pointers for the season, but that figured dipped to 28.3% during Houston’s seven-game downturn.

With Friday’s victory, the fifth-seeded Rockets (24-15) pulled closer to the fourth-seeded Timberwolves (27-15) in the tightly packed Western Conference standings. As things stand, that would be a first-round matchup in the West playoffs, and the higher seed would have home-court advantage.

Next up for Durant and the Rockets is Sunday’s home matchup versus the lowly New Orleans Pelicans (10-34), who sit at the bottom of the West. Tipoff is at 6:00 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised regionally on Space City Home Network (SCHN) and nationally via NBA League Pass.

Houston enters with an impressive 13-3 record at Toyota Center, where they shoot 38.5% on 3-pointers. On the road, that number drops to 36.0%, and the Rockets are 11-12.

“Any time the ball goes in, the game’s a lot easier,” said Reed Sheppard, who connected on 4-of-6 shots from 3-point range (66.7%) during Friday’s win. “It’s a lot more fun. But the last thing I’m worried about with this group is the shooting ability.”

“We’ve been in the gym a lot, and I’ve seen these guys shoot. Everyone on the team can shoot extremely well. That’s basketball sometimes. You’re going to make and miss shots. Unfortunately, we’ve been missing a lot, but I have no doubt that will turn and we’ll get on a roll.”

More: Rockets 110, Wolves 105: In key win, Kevin Durant drops season-high 39