5 consecutive wins! The Rockets made a huge comeback with 22 points. Durant made 6 of 18. In this battle, I completely recognized these two stars.

Edit|Old Kankanqiu

On November 20, the NBA 2025-26 regular season ushered in the league's focus battle. The Cleveland Cavaliers sat at home and faced the Houston Rockets. What's amazing is that the 37-year-old Durant is still making history. So far, his Rockets career total score has exceeded 300 points, becoming the fastest player to score 300 points in Rockets history (only 12 games). At the same time, he has scored 30+ points in the past two games in a row, becoming the oldest player (37 years and 49 days old) in the history of the Rockets to score 30+ points in two consecutive games. He is a proper superstar in the league. Thanks to Durant's outstanding performance, the Rockets currently have a record of 9 wins and 3 losses, winning 4 consecutive victories and ranking third in the Western Conference.

Before the game, the US media ESPN made a prediction for this game: the Rockets' winning rate is only 47.9%, while the Cavaliers' winning rate is 52.1%, which is a slight advantage. In terms of the starting lineup, for the Rockets, VanVleet continues to miss the game. Coach Udoka's starting five is: Kevin Durant, Alperon Shenjing, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Adams; for the Cavaliers, the starting lineup is: Mitchell, Allen, Mobley, Hunter, Tomlin.

At the beginning of the first quarter, Shen Jing stopped the ball in the low post to attract double-teams. He moved to Smith in a wide area and made a solid three-pointer with a wide open space. Shen Jing's throw missed and Adams tipped in and was called for interference. The Rockets directly chose to challenge, and finally successfully changed the decision. The Rockets started leading the Cavaliers 7-0. Hunter hit consecutive three-pointers and scored 6 points in a row. The Cavaliers responded with a 7-0 tie. Shen Jing held the ball and beat Mobley in singles, turned around and hooked in again. Mitchell switched offense and defense and responded immediately to Smith Jr.'s European step throw. Durant pulled out a three-pointer but was knocked down by Hunter. After reviewing the video, the referee added a first-level flagrant foul. This step was a bit dangerous. Smith dribbled the ball against the defense and hit a three-pointer. Shepard counterattacked and scored again for a layup. The Rockets stopped the Cavaliers with a 10-0 wave. Amen changed direction and passed Mobley, accelerated to the frame and completed a two-handed dunk. Shepard received the pass from Shen Jing at a 45-degree angle and made a solid three-pointer. At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led the Cavaliers by 14 points, 33-19.

In the first quarter of the game, the young rookie Sheppard made 3 of 4 shots and scored 8 points and 1 rebound, with a plus-minus value of +13.

Back in the second quarter, Mobley caught the ball and broke through. After confronting Holiday, he faced the defense and scored a layup. Sheppard used the pick-and-roll to dribble to the free throw line and hit a throw-in and immediately responded. He has now scored a team-high 10 points. Durant went to the basket in isolation and drifted back to score the first sports goal of the game. The Rockets led to 15 points. Tomlin's wide-open three-pointer in the bottom corner missed the mark, and he redeemed himself with a self-throw and a tomahawk dunk. Then he turned around and clashed with Smith in the scramble for position. Both sides received technical fouls at the same time. Allen caught the ball and dunked Shen Jing brutally but was called for an offensive foul. Shen Jing transitioned from offense to defense and quickly inserted into the basket, catching the ball and scoring a layup. The Rockets led to 20 points. Hunter hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. At halftime, the Cavaliers trailed the Rockets by 17 points, 40-57.

Halftime statistics, for the Rockets, Durant played 17 minutes, making 3 of 9 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 6 of 6 free throws, and scored 13 points and 3 rebounds; Shepard, the third overall pick, played 13 minutes and performed well, making 4 of 6 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers, and contributed 10 points, 1 rebound, and 1 block.

For the Cavaliers, Mitchell made only 1 of 7 shots in 17 minutes of sluggish play, 0 of 3 three-pointers, and only scored 2 points, 1 rebound and 2 steals.

Change sides to fight again. Mobley held the ball and beat Smith in singles. He scored 2+1 with a layup with dreamy steps under the basket. Shen Jing singled out Mobley, turned around and easily reached the basket and succeeded in a negative angle attack. He responded immediately. Mobley scored 2+1 under the basket, Ball dribbled away and hit consecutive three-pointers, and the Cavaliers went on an 18-3 run to catch up to the 7-point difference.

In the decisive battle in the fourth quarter, Mitchell switched offense and defense, overturned his opponent's three-pointer and hit a three-pointer. The Cavaliers caught up with only 1 point left, falling behind by up to 22 points. Shen Jing hit the limit with a reverse layup, Shepard counterattacked and scored again, and the Rockets regained the lead to 7 points to stabilize the situation. Mitchell hit a three-point pull-up, then broke through for a layup and then hit consecutive hits. He scored 17 points in the final quarter, and the Cavaliers narrowed the point difference to 3 points. Holiday received a pass from Durant from the bottom corner and hit a three-pointer, then counterattacked for a layup and scored 2+1. The Rockets regained the double-digit lead. In the end, the Rockets defeated the Cavaliers 114-104, resisting a 22-point reversal and winning five consecutive games.

Full game statistics, for the Rockets, Durant made 6 of 18 shots, scored 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 turnovers; Shepard, the top pick, made 5 of 11 shots, contributed 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block; Shen Jing scored 28 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 5 turnovers.

For the Cavaliers, Mitchell scored 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals; Hunter made 5 of 8 three-pointers and contributed 25 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

In this battle, I completely recognized these two stars. First, Shen Jing really deserves to be an All-Star this season. His style of play is really stable. His big heart often saves the team at critical moments. This season, he can become the key player in determining the direction of the game with Durant. Second, Sheppard, the third overall pick, really showed his confidence. He scored 3 of 4 in the first quarter. He scored 8 points, with a plus-minus value of +13, and led the team to a 14-point lead. In the last quarter, when the Cavaliers were chasing points, he scored consecutive points to stabilize the morale of the team. He did well on both ends of the offense and defense. If he continues to play like this, it is really possible to replace VanVleet and become the Rockets' core point guard in the future.