There’s no question about Kevin Durant’s greatness as he is a confirmed future Hall of Famer. However, before this season, he had never shown his true potential by being his fittest for the Houston Rockets. At the age of 37, the Slim Reaper is rewinding the clock and setting new standards for greatness in the NBA. While the Rockets suffered a 136-132 defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves this Friday, it was indeed a historic outing for Durant.

Durant finished the night with a 33-point performance while also securing seven assists and as many rebounds, finishing 13-out-of-19 attempts on the night. However, he created history after the first quarter, becoming the oldest player in the NBA (37) to score 2,000 points in a single season. He surpassed Karl Malone in this regard.

While the Rockets lost this game, they are in the playoffs mainly because of Durant’s brilliance this season. The 37-year-old has shown an exceptional fitness record in his 19th year in the NBA. He has exponentially played more minutes than players close to a decade younger than him in this Rockets roster. And he is not looking to stop here. “My goal every year is to play 82 games, 48 minutes a night. So that’s what I’m preparing for in the summertime,” Durant said via Chris Baldwin. In an attempt to play 82 games, Durant has played 78 this season, with one left before they enter the playoffs, highlighting his dedication to fitness at this stage of his career.

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Several players of Durant’s age bracket have struggled with muscle injuries and other concerns this season. Considering that those players are in the twilight of their careers, these issues are common, but not for Durant, who has been ever-present in his first season for the Rockets, despite the team’s fluctuating form. The 37-year-old is averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 52% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc. The Slim Reaper has to be the most lethal weapon for the Rockets heading into the playoffs.

The Houston Rockets are all set to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs

Before this defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Houston Rockets strung an eight-game winning streak, which has propelled them into fifth spot in the Western Conference. Interestingly, their streak started following a defeat against the Timberwolves and also ended with a defeat against the same team. On the same night, victories for the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers meant that the Rockets have now locked the fifth spot.

With a solitary game left in the 2025-26 regular season, the Rockets are all set to face the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The Rockets do not have the tiebreaker against the Lakers, so even if they finish with a similar record following Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers will still finish ahead of them.

So it is certain that the Rockets will face the Lakers and will open with an away game in the first round of the playoffs. Ime Udoka’s men just went 22-19 in road games this season. There’s a slight catch here as well. If the Lakers win their final game against Utah and subsequently the Nuggets lose to San Antonio, then the Rockets could face Denver in the first round, as the Lakers have the tiebreaker over the Nuggets as well.

The Houston went 1-2 versus the Lakers and 1-3 versus the Nuggets this season. They lost two close games against the Lakers in mid-March, where Luka Doncic was in fiery form and combined for 76 points. So if the Rockets face the Lakers in the first round, his absence could very well determine the result of the series.

Durant, in his first season with the Rockets, is looking to lead the team to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2018, when James Harden was still on the Houston roster. The two-time champion has looked in fantastic form this season and could very well be the difference between the two teams in the first round of the playoffs, irrespective of them facing the Lakers and the Nuggets.