Kevin Durant scores 30 points to lead the Rockets to a dominant win over the Cavaliers

Published Dec. 27, 2025 10:22 p.m. ET

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 30 points in three quarters to lead the Houston Rockets to an easy 117-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.

The Rockets won their second straight after they lost four of their previous five games.

Durant, who also had seven assists and four rebounds, didn’t play in the fourth quarter with Houston up by 27 points after three.

The Cavaliers cut the lead to 12 on a basket by Darius Garland with about seven minutes left in the third quarter before Houston used a 15-0 run to make it 85-58 about two minutes later. After a dunk by Durant in that stretch, Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson received a technical for yelling at the officials and Durant made the free throw.

Jabari Smith Jr. capped the run with a 3-pointer before Dean Wade made a 3 to give the Cavaliers their first points in more than four minutes.

Reserve Jaylon Tyson had 23 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell added 16 points on 7-for-17 shooting for the Cavaliers, who dropped a second straight game and their fifth in the last seven games.

The Rockets scored seven straight points, with 3s from Tari Eason and Smith, to take a 16-12 lead and never trailed again.

Tyson hit a shot for the Cavaliers after that but Houston then used a 12-2 spurt, with nine points from Durant, to push the lead to 28-16 late in the first.

Reed Sheppard added 18 points and eight assists off the bench for the Rockets. Smith had 15 points to tie a career high with his fifth straight game with at least 15 points.

Houston’s Steven Adams had nine points and eight assists starting in place of All-Star Alperen Sengun, who missed the game with calf tightness.