The Houston Rockets returned to winning ways on Friday by ending the Atlanta Hawks‘ 11-game win streak in some style. The Rockets blew out the Hawks 117-95 at Toyota Center, and Kevin Durant trolled their critics in his postgame press conference. Before the media could ask Durant any questions, he had a couple for them.
“How was the body language tonight?” Durant asked. “Was it good?”
There has been a whole lot of talk about the Rockets’ body language on the court for a while now. Durant, in particular, has come under fire, and he has also been accused of destroying the vibes in that locker room. So, it wasn’t surprising that when the media stated the body language was good, his next question was about the vibes.
“How was the vibes?” Durant asked. “Good vibes?”
Here’s how Kevin Durant opened his press conference tonight. Clearly, he was aware of all the body language talk surrounding the Rockets lately.
(h/t @AdamJWexler) pic.twitter.com/M9IQyiCTjp
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) March 21, 2026
Durant had a wry smile after being told the vibes were indeed good. As you’d expect, the 37-year-old had heard all that outside noise. Durant was later asked about the critiques of the Rockets’ vibes and claimed this has been the norm for him.
“When we lose, of course, we’re an easy target — I’m an easy target,” Durant said, via Will Guillory. “Everywhere I’ve been, it feels like, when we lose games, it’s like, ‘Look at KD. Look at him not smiling.’ But when we’re winning, and we’re chest bumping and smiling, having a good time over there, it never gets talked about. That’s just the name of the game.”
The negatives indeed seem to be focused on more when it comes to Durant’s teams in recent years. Then again, though, there hasn’t been much to like.
In the four seasons prior to this one, Durant’s teams won one playoff series. The Phoenix Suns even failed to make the playoffs in Durant’s final season, going 36-46 in 2024-25. From the outside, the vibes did seem quite terrible in that locker room.
The Suns were then expected to flounder after trading Durant to the Rockets for a package centered around Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, but that didn’t happen. They are currently seventh in the West with a 39-31 record. That alone would have been enough for the 16-time All-Star’s critics to claim he has a negative impact in the locker room, but they got more ammunition.
The Rockets had gone 52-30 last season and only improved to 42-27 with this win over the Hawks. While injuries have played a part in that, a lot of the blame has fallen on Durant’s feet. To go with all the body language talk, there was that huge burner account scandal as well. It has just been a chaotic campaign.
Some members of the Rockets now reportedly regret trading for Durant. It was said that while his numbers are great, the team’s chemistry isn’t as good as last season.
Durant, who had 25 points (9-15 FG), three rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks against the Hawks, is indicating all this is overblown. Ultimately, only he and his teammates know what’s going on in that locker room.
The Rockets ended a two-game losing streak by beating the Hawks here and will take on the Miami Heat next at Toyota Center on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
