Kevin Durant attempts six shots, scores 12 points

Durant took a bit of a backseat in this one as the Rockets mostly played through Alperen Sengun, who took twice as many shots as Durant and had 29 points. The recipe worked for Houston as they were able to speak out a close 114-110 victory over the Spurs. The good news for fantasy managers is Durant played 37 minutes again and doesn’t appear to be slowing down at age-38.

Durant started his 19th season in the NBA off with an excellent performance. The 38-year-old forward dropped 30 points on 16 attempts as the Rockets won going away over the Mavericks. Durant played 37 minutes after averaging 36.3 minutes last season. While the Rockets’ top brass has talked about managing his minutes, Durant wasn’t held back at all in the season opener.

Durant is 38 and entering his 19th season in the NBA, but he showed few signs of slowing down last season as he was named to the league’s All-NBA second-team. He’ll start alongside VanVleet, Thompson, Smith and Sengun against the Mavericks on Wednesday.

During his press conference, Durant was asked about GM Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka wanting to manage his minutes. KD acknowledged the logic behind it, but said he’s ready to play as much as he needs to to help the Rockets win. He played 36.3 minutes per game last season, and he hasn’t played fewer than 35 minutes per game in a season since his first with the Nets, which was right after he missed a full season with a torn Achilles. Since an injury-plagued stint in Brooklyn, Durant has been mostly healthy over the last three seasons and still plays a significant workload. It doesn’t seem like that will change this season.

Coming off of what he described as the best season of his NBA career, Brown just missed out on first-team All-NBA honors. The Celtics’ star wing was a first-team selection on 44 of 100 ballots, with Detroit’s Cade Cunningham appearing on 60 and finishing with 414 total points to Brown’s 384. Leonard, Mitchell, Durant and Brunson round out the All-NBA second team.

Having suffered a tendon bruise in his knee before the series, Durant has been out since Game 2 due to a bone bruise in his left ankle. His continued absence means another start for Reed Sheppard, while the Rockets will also require more production from Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson. Sheppard played 35 minutes in Wednesday’s Game 5 victory, finishing with 12 points, six assists, three steals and two three-pointers.

Despite it being another elimination game for the Rockets, Durant still won’t be available to suit up. Reed Sheppard should continue to start after scoring 17 points in Houston’s Game 4 victory. If they’re able to extend the series, there is a chance Durant is able to make a return to the court, which would help the Rockets’ chances of making history by coming back from down 0-3.

While Game 4 was the third time in this series that Sheppard finished with 17 points, he was far more efficient than in Games 1 and 3. The second-year guard shot 50 percent from the field on Sunday, compared to 6-of-20 in Game 1 and 6-of-21 in Game 3. Add in the assists, three-pointers and steals, and Sheppard had a good night when the Rockets needed him most. Sheppard has recorded three steals in back-to-back games, and he kept the turnovers in check in Game 4 after racking up five in the Rockets’ Game 3 defeat. How much he’ll play in Game 5 on Wednesday depends on the availability of Kevin Durant (ankle), who did not play in Games 3 or 4.

With their season on the line, the Rockets will go into Game 4 without their leading scorer. Despite around-the-clock treatment, the veteran wing has not been cleared to play through an injury that would likely sideline him for multiple weeks during the regular season. Reed Sheppard is in line to make another start, and the Rockets will need increased offensive production from Alperen Şengün.

Durant missed Game 1 with a knee tendon bruise before coming back for Game 2 and spraining his ankle. The 37-year-old small forward appeared to be away from the team after being ruled out for Game 3, which was another Rockets loss. Now he’s questionable for Game 4 on Sunday. Reed Sheppard would return to the bench if Durant is available.