The Houston Rockets took down the Orlando Magic 113-108 during their showdown at Kia Center on Thursday. Kevin Durant was sensational in the contest, dropping 40 points on 14-of-28 shooting.
Durant scored 26 points in the second half, helping Houston erase a 19-point lead in the third quarter.
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Orlando went up 76-57 with 5:04 left in the penultimate period following a Paolo Banchero dunk. However, the Rockets went on a 21-0 run in the next three and a half minutes to turn things around. During that span, KD contributed eight points, while Reed Sheppard scored 11.
With his performance, Durant made history as the sixth player to reach 32,000 points. He also tied NBA legend Kobe Bryant for the fifth-most 30-point games ever with 431, per ESPN Insights.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant looks up during a game.Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
(Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
While it was an incredible showing from Durant and the Rockets, the NBA referees made things a little more difficult for them due to their officiating.
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According to the NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report, there were two incorrect non-calls during the final minute of the game, both of which went against the Rockets.
With around 56 seconds left, Alperen Sengun took a shot while being guarded by Paolo Banchero. The Rockets center missed and Banchero eventually got the rebound.
Nonetheless, the NBA revealed that Tristan da Silva should have been called for a loose-ball foul during the sequence. Da Silva was battling for positioning with Rockets guard Josh Okogie, but the second-year Magic forward was seen holding and pushing Okogie back.
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“da Silva (ORL) faces up with Okogie (HOU) and impedes his pursuit of the rebound,” the NBA commented.
The Rockets were only up by four points during that moment, so it was definitely a crucial miss. Had it been called, Houston would have gotten two free throws because the Magic were already in a penalty situation.
The referees’ next mistake came with 22.1 seconds left. Anthony Black was inbounding the ball for the Magic after a timeout and was eventually able to get it in play, but he apparently took more than five seconds to do it.
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Black should have been called for a five-second inbound violation, which would have resulted in a Rockets possession. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“Black (ORL) does not inbound the ball within five seconds,” the NBA explained in the report.
It’s fortunate that the Rockets were able to secure the victory, improving to 37-21 on the season. However, those officiating errors would have been frustrating had Houston lost such a close game.
Houston can only move on and hope for better officiating. They play the Miami Heat on Saturday before facing the Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs next week.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.