NBA: Kevin Durant delivers as Rockets hold on to beat Hornets

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant brings the ball upcourt against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kevin Durant made two free throws with 3.2 seconds left for the last of his 35 points, and the Houston Rockets held on to beat the Charlotte Hornets 105-101 in the NBA on Thursday night.

Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points, and Reed Sheppard and Alperen Sengun each had 13 for Houston. The Rockets overcame an 11-point first-half deficit.

Grant Williams led the Hornets with 20 points. Brandon Miller scored 17 points, but was 1 of 12 from 3-point range.

LaMelo Ball, playing a day after being involved in a two-car crash in downtown Charlotte, had 11 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

The Hornets, who had won 11 of 12 going into the All-Star break with the only loss coming to Eastern Conference-leading Detroit, looked sharp early and bolted to an 11-point lead early in the second quarter.

But the Rockets would start to pull away in the fourth quarter with Sengun making a spinning reverse layup against rookie 7-foot- center Ryan Kalkbrenner and baby hook shot on back-to-back possessions to Houston its biggest lead at 95-84 with five minutes left.

Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, who came into the game second in the league in 3-pointers, would make two 3s down the stretch but Durant was too much.

He hit four mid-range jumpers and scored 10 points in the fourth quarter including one to beat the shot clock with 44 seconds left when he drove the left side of the lane and elevated above traffic.

After Knueppel’s third 3 cut it to 103-101 with six seconds left, the Hornets were forced to foul and Durant made both free throws to put the game away.