Kevin Durant Has Been Very Successful Against His Hometown Team

The Houston Rockets are scheduled to begin their first real roadtrip of this new season. They’ll have four games away from home, including a back-to-back that starts tonight in our nation’s capital. While this is always one of the more historic of each team’s 41 pitstops throughout the season, it’s gotten even more meaningful for the Rockets. 

Kevin Durant being born and raised in and around Washington, D.C. makes this a homecoming for Houston’s veteran leader. Even though he hasn’t resided there with any real frequency since leaving for college, it’s still home. The guy has the Washington Nationals logo tattooed on his body. That’s permanent. 

That connection also had to make his first couple performances returning home somewhat difficult to stomach. He didn’t beat the Washington Wizards at all until near the end of his second season, but didn’t get win in D.C. until his sixth time playing them. 

That’s three years into his career, after Durant already won Rookie of the Year and was on his way to his first All-Star selection. Russell Westbrook was already in his second season by the time Durant won in his childhood stomping grounds. 

Things didn’t get better for quite a while, as the OKC Thunder (and Seattle SuperSonics) went 2-5 in Durant’s first seven times returning to the capital. That’s all the way through the Gilbert Arenas downfall, into the days of John Wall and Bradley Beal. 

The Wizards even managed to steal a game away from the Golden State Warriors, though Durant got injured two minutes into the game. It’s sort of hard to count that one as a loss for him, to be fair. His record against the Wizards did finally start to improve, though, thanks in large part to the collapse of their organization. 

They haven’t been above .500 since 2018, and Durant’s record against them reflects that. His last loss was in an epic duel against Westbrook back in January 2021. Since then Durant has won 10 consecutive games against his hometown team, with four of those coming in D.C. 

Since the new-look Wizards have struggled early on this year, it seems like the perfect time to keep KD’s success rolling. He’s never had an issue scoring against this team, but don’t be surprised if his 27.9 point average against them drops a bit. 

With Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and company on a six-game losing streak, the Rockets should be able to handle business with ease. If not, their path ahead only gets more difficult, as the Miami Heat have won four consecutive games and are waiting in South Beach. 

More from RocketsRoundtable:  

Why the Houston Rockets Early Success Could Be Fool’s Gold

The Charlotte Hornets Could Trade for Houston's Former Lottery Pick

Ime Udoka Has Won Nearly Every Coach’s Challenge This Year

KD Accidentally Throws a Stray at Houston Rockets’ Teammate 

The Rockets Have Already Overcome Multiple Obstacles From Last Season

What to Expect From the Next Month of Houston Rockets Hoops