Deadspin | Kevin Durant scores 29 as Rockets hold off 76ers for 8th straight win 
Apr 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) shoots against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 29 points and drilled a critical late 3-pointer that helped the host Houston Rockets fend off the hard-charging Philadelphia 76ers 113-102 on Thursday.
The Rockets extended their winning streak to eight games but had to sweat out the final minutes. The 76ers (43-37) shaved a 28-point third-quarter deficit to 107-102 when VJ Edgecombe followed a pair of missed free throws by Durant with a short jumper with 1:36 to play.
However, Durant nailed a 3-pointer on the next possession to settle the game for the Rockets (51-29) once and for all.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson added 19 points apiece for Houston while Tari Eason added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Alperen Sengun (12) and Josh Okogie (10) combined for 22 rebounds.
The 76ers played without Joel Embiid, who underwent an emergency appendectomy earlier on Thursday. Tyrese Maxey paced Philadelphia with 23 points while Edgecombe added 21 points, six rebounds and a game-high eight assists. Andre Drummond grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
The 76ers have dropped three straight games and four of six.
Eason sank a 3-pointer with 2:44 remaining in the third that pushed the Rockets to a 96-68 lead. But the 76ers, behind reserve Quentin Grimes (20 points), engineered a stunning rally in the fourth, starting with a 16-0 run that included the Rockets going scoreless for more than four minutes.
After turning a 9-0 spurt into a 17-10 lead, Houston added a 13-3 blitz capped by a Thompson dunk that pushed the margin to 33-20. The 76ers committed three turnovers during the second Houston run and had six total in the opening period that the Rockets converted into 12 points.
The Rockets entered the second with a 35-26 advantage and continued to extend that margin. Reed Sheppard sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a Durant field goal that lifted Houston to a 65-47 lead with 3:47 left in the half, and the Rockets opened a 23-point cushion before Maxey caught fire.
Maxey, held scoreless in the first quarter, tallied 15 points in the second, including the final eight for the 76ers in the half. His consecutive treys down the stretch cut the deficit to 73-56 entering halftime.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Kevin #Durant #scores #Rockets #hold #76ers #8th #straight #win
Apr 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) shoots against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 29 points and drilled a critical late 3-pointer that helped the host Houston Rockets fend off the hard-charging Philadelphia 76ers 113-102 on Thursday.
The Rockets extended their winning streak to eight games but had to sweat out the final minutes. The 76ers (43-37) shaved a 28-point third-quarter deficit to 107-102 when VJ Edgecombe followed a pair of missed free throws by Durant with a short jumper with 1:36 to play.
However, Durant nailed a 3-pointer on the next possession to settle the game for the Rockets (51-29) once and for all.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson added 19 points apiece for Houston while Tari Eason added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Alperen Sengun (12) and Josh Okogie (10) combined for 22 rebounds.
The 76ers played without Joel Embiid, who underwent an emergency appendectomy earlier on Thursday. Tyrese Maxey paced Philadelphia with 23 points while Edgecombe added 21 points, six rebounds and a game-high eight assists. Andre Drummond grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
The 76ers have dropped three straight games and four of six.
Eason sank a 3-pointer with 2:44 remaining in the third that pushed the Rockets to a 96-68 lead. But the 76ers, behind reserve Quentin Grimes (20 points), engineered a stunning rally in the fourth, starting with a 16-0 run that included the Rockets going scoreless for more than four minutes.
After turning a 9-0 spurt into a 17-10 lead, Houston added a 13-3 blitz capped by a Thompson dunk that pushed the margin to 33-20. The 76ers committed three turnovers during the second Houston run and had six total in the opening period that the Rockets converted into 12 points.
The Rockets entered the second with a 35-26 advantage and continued to extend that margin. Reed Sheppard sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a Durant field goal that lifted Houston to a 65-47 lead with 3:47 left in the half, and the Rockets opened a 23-point cushion before Maxey caught fire.
Maxey, held scoreless in the first quarter, tallied 15 points in the second, including the final eight for the 76ers in the half. His consecutive treys down the stretch cut the deficit to 73-56 entering halftime.
–Field Level Media
![CSK vs DC, IPL 2026: How DC’s ‘yorker king’ Natarajan took the long road back to success There was a sense of familiarity when T. Natarajan walked into the press conference room at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai ahead of the IPL 2026 encounter between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The DC pacer had a wide smile on his face when he walked into a room full of journalists who had been witnesses to his rise from the grounds of Chinnapampatti in Salem to the Gabba in Brisbane. The smile turned into a chuckle when one of them prompted, “Tamil or Hindi?”The 35-year-old seemed to be in high spirits after a tough year and a half, during which he grappled with injury, playing just a solitary T20 game, which came in the IPL for the Capitals. “Last year, my collarbone was broken. Not many people know it. I was not 100% fit,” Natarajan said.“I think a lot about injury. It’s always there in the back of my mind. Even when there is soreness, the injury comes back to mind. The last year has been a struggle. I’ve had to motivate myself to come back from all these,” he added. The left-arm pacer was painfully frank about the mental toll these injuries had on him, but said the challenge of coming back from injury was in no way comparable to the stress he endured in his first year as a First-Class cricketer. Natarajan made his Tamil Nadu debut in a Ranji Trophy encounter against Bengal in Kolkata, after which he was called out for a suspect action by match officials. He remained out of contention for more than a year before a splendid showing in the maiden season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League brought him back into the TN setup and gave him his first IPL contract with the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). “I’ve had some three to four surgeries so far. Physically and mentally, I’ve overcome a lot of challenges. The biggest challenge for me was coming back from being called for suspect action. Injuries are a part of the game, and it’s not in my hands, but this is different. I was mentally weak at the time, and coming back from that gave me the confidence that I can overcome any challenge, including injuries,” the pacer said. Natarajan credited the Capitals management for backing him doubtlessly during the previous IPL season. The franchise even took him to the UAE during the ILT20, where he trained along with the sister team, the Dubai Capitals. “The support staff and team management in DC have been in constant touch with me, monitoring my progress. [Hemang] Badani sir (DC head coach), often chats with me and we even met during the TNPL. I attended a lot of camps in Delhi, Surat and Hyderabad and also spent three weeks in Dubai. I even played in the DY Patil tournament in Mumbai as preparation, which helped me get back in rhythm,” he explained.ALSO READ: CSK vs DC, IPL 2026: ‘Criticism is fair when you’re not doing well,’ says Chennai Super Kings coach FlemingFitness is not the only aspect Natarajan worked on during his long layoff. The left-armer, who earned the moniker of ‘yorker king’ during his initial spell in the T20 showpiece event, has had to relearn the craft after constant interruptions. He says he has now upskilled himself by bowling yorkers by holding the seam. Earlier, he could only bowl cross-seam ones, he admits. “Bowling with the seam has been very difficult. But I had that question in mind: ‘Why can’t I do it?’ Ellaralayum panna mudiyum na [if everyone can do it], I can do it too. I have been able to naturally get some dip on it,” the DC quick said. The Tamil Nadu bowler explained that he continues to practice with the tennis ball at the T. Natarajan Cricket Academy, which he built in his hometown to perfect the yorker. “I started playing cricket with a tennis ball at the age of 20. Bowling with it helps me improve my confidence. I practised with a weightless ball, the red-coloured tennis ball and then even with the red ball. When I was at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bhuvi bhai [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] said he practices with the red ball a lot during the off-season. I’ve been doing the same,” he quipped. After multiple false starts, the season has begun positively for Natarajan. He has picked up four wickets in three matches this season at an impressive economy rate of 7.90. He will hope he can take a further step forward when he steps into the hallowed turf at Chepauk, where he has spent countless hours in his inspirational journey to the top. Published on Apr 10, 2026 #CSK #IPL #DCs #yorker #king #Natarajan #long #road #success](https://i3.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/bqhszk/article70848493.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/DSC_7539.JPG?ssl=1 "CSK vs DC, IPL 2026: How DC’s ‘yorker king’ Natarajan took the long road back to success There was a sense of familiarity when T. Natarajan walked into the press conference room at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai ahead of the IPL 2026 encounter between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The DC pacer had a wide smile on his face when he walked into a room full of journalists who had been witnesses to his rise from the grounds of Chinnapampatti in Salem to the Gabba in Brisbane. The smile turned into a chuckle when one of them prompted, “Tamil or Hindi?”The 35-year-old seemed to be in high spirits after a tough year and a half, during which he grappled with injury, playing just a solitary T20 game, which came in the IPL for the Capitals. “Last year, my collarbone was broken. Not many people know it. I was not 100% fit,” Natarajan said.“I think a lot about injury. It’s always there in the back of my mind. Even when there is soreness, the injury comes back to mind. The last year has been a struggle. I’ve had to motivate myself to come back from all these,” he added. The left-arm pacer was painfully frank about the mental toll these injuries had on him, but said the challenge of coming back from injury was in no way comparable to the stress he endured in his first year as a First-Class cricketer. Natarajan made his Tamil Nadu debut in a Ranji Trophy encounter against Bengal in Kolkata, after which he was called out for a suspect action by match officials. He remained out of contention for more than a year before a splendid showing in the maiden season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League brought him back into the TN setup and gave him his first IPL contract with the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). “I’ve had some three to four surgeries so far. Physically and mentally, I’ve overcome a lot of challenges. The biggest challenge for me was coming back from being called for suspect action. Injuries are a part of the game, and it’s not in my hands, but this is different. I was mentally weak at the time, and coming back from that gave me the confidence that I can overcome any challenge, including injuries,” the pacer said. Natarajan credited the Capitals management for backing him doubtlessly during the previous IPL season. The franchise even took him to the UAE during the ILT20, where he trained along with the sister team, the Dubai Capitals. “The support staff and team management in DC have been in constant touch with me, monitoring my progress. [Hemang] Badani sir (DC head coach), often chats with me and we even met during the TNPL. I attended a lot of camps in Delhi, Surat and Hyderabad and also spent three weeks in Dubai. I even played in the DY Patil tournament in Mumbai as preparation, which helped me get back in rhythm,” he explained.ALSO READ: CSK vs DC, IPL 2026: ‘Criticism is fair when you’re not doing well,’ says Chennai Super Kings coach FlemingFitness is not the only aspect Natarajan worked on during his long layoff. The left-armer, who earned the moniker of ‘yorker king’ during his initial spell in the T20 showpiece event, has had to relearn the craft after constant interruptions. He says he has now upskilled himself by bowling yorkers by holding the seam. Earlier, he could only bowl cross-seam ones, he admits. “Bowling with the seam has been very difficult. But I had that question in mind: ‘Why can’t I do it?’ Ellaralayum panna mudiyum na [if everyone can do it], I can do it too. I have been able to naturally get some dip on it,” the DC quick said. The Tamil Nadu bowler explained that he continues to practice with the tennis ball at the T. Natarajan Cricket Academy, which he built in his hometown to perfect the yorker. “I started playing cricket with a tennis ball at the age of 20. Bowling with it helps me improve my confidence. I practised with a weightless ball, the red-coloured tennis ball and then even with the red ball. When I was at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bhuvi bhai [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] said he practices with the red ball a lot during the off-season. I’ve been doing the same,” he quipped. After multiple false starts, the season has begun positively for Natarajan. He has picked up four wickets in three matches this season at an impressive economy rate of 7.90. He will hope he can take a further step forward when he steps into the hallowed turf at Chepauk, where he has spent countless hours in his inspirational journey to the top. Published on Apr 10, 2026 #CSK #IPL #DCs #yorker #king #Natarajan #long #road #success")
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