The Houston Rockets suffered their second straight loss since Kevin Durant returned from a one-game absence on Wednesday. They fell to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, 109-99.
The Hornets stayed hot, earning their eighth straight win behind the heroics of Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball, who combined for 44 points.
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Durant scored 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting, but it was not enough. Head coach Ime Udoka, however, said it came down to effort. According to Udoka, he did not see any improvement from his squad after their loss to Boston.
Udoka described the Hornets loss as a repeat of what they absorbed the day before and blasted his players for their lack of competitiveness.
“Teams are coming in and playing harder. They’re looking at it like, ‘If we play harder than them, we’ll beat them,'” Udoka told reporters postgame.
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“No fight, no aggression — just blank stares. In the past, if we didn’t win, we at least got into it and did something about it. But right now, it’s the same mistakes over and over. Things we talk about at halftime get worse in the third quarter; it doesn’t look like there’s any resistance.”
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant speaks to reporters.Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
(Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
A reporter pressed Udoka about Alperen Sengun, who struggled in the game. The coach insisted it was not just the Turkish big man who deserved scrutiny.
“You give some things away on defense when you’re not as engaged because you’re not scoring. So it’s not just an Alperen thing. A lot of guys were struggling to shoot, and you let it affect your all-around game,” Udoka added.
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Sengun scored 39 points in a win over the Indiana Pacers last Monday and said afterward that he needed to be extra aggressive due to KD’s absence. He added that he felt the “need to dominate every game” after a sloppy January.
That did not happen. Sengun struggled and scored just 13 points in the loss to the Celtics, where he was ejected for cursing at a referee. He was then held to seven points by the Hornets.
Related: NBA Rookie Kon Knueppel Reaches Franchise Milestone After 42 Games Played
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.